‘Public Mourning’ – World Leaders Express Condolences on Iranian Leaders’ Deaths

May 20, 2024 Blog, News
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. (Photo: Meghdad Madadi, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has declared five days of public mourning following the “martyrdom” of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage.

World leaders have expressed condolences to Iran following the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other top officials in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

Earlier on Monday, Tehran confirmed the deaths in a helicopter crash in the mountainous East Azerbaijan province on Sunday afternoon. The officials were returning from a visit to neighbouring Azerbaijan where the two presidents met on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for a joint dam project on the border of the two states.

Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his sadness over the “bitter tragedy” of Raisi’s death saying the nation has lost “a warm-hearted, humble and valued servant.” Khamenei declared five days of public mourning following the “martyrdom” of Raisi and his entourage, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the state news agency.

Tragedy in Iran – President, Foreign Minister Found Dead following Helicopter Crash

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday that he and his government were “deeply shocked by the heavy loss that befell the brotherly and friendly Islamic Republic of Iran and its people.”

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences over Raisi’s death.

“Sayyid Ibrahim Raisi was an outstanding politician whose whole life was devoted to serving (his) country,” read a statement published on the Kremlin’s website.

“As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good-neighborly relations between our countries, and made great efforts to bring them to the level of strategic partnership,” the statement continued.

Putin also praised Raisi as a “true friend of Russia.”

“Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was dedicated to serving his homeland,” the Russian President said. “He made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good-neighborly relations between our countries.”

‘Without Any Interruption’ – Iran to Manage Post-Raisi Governance

Turkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his “deepest condolences to the brotherly Iranian people and government, especially to the religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, and to the families of his hononourable president and other deceased.”

“As a colleague who personally witnessed his efforts for the peace of the Iranian people and our region during his time in office, I remember Mr Raisi with respect and gratitude,” Erdogan said on X.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he was “deeply saddened” by the news of the deaths.

“I fondly remember the contributions of Abdullahiyan, with whom I had the opportunity to work closely during the critical period our region was in, to further strengthen the bilateral relations between our countries,” Fidan said of his counterpart.

Arab Leaders

Arab leaders also extended their condolences to Iran with Lebanon and Syria both announcing three days of national mourning.

The Iraqi Prime Minister’s office issuing a statement that: “Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani expressed his deepest condolences to the Iranian government and its people over the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions in a helicopter crash.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “affirmed Syria’s solidarity” with Tehran, saying Damascus had worked with Raisi “to ensure that strategic relations between Syria and Iran flourish always.”

The office of Egypt’s President President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a statement: “The President expressed the solidarity of the Arab Republic of Egypt with the leadership and people of Iran during this tragic time.”

In a post on X, Jordanian King Abdullah expressed his “deepest condolences to the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the passing of President Ibrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian, and their accompanying officials.”

United Arab Emirates President bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE “stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time.”

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani offered his condolences on the death of Raisi and the officials, “asking God to cover them with His vast mercy.”

Pakistan, India

Pakistan declared national mourning as South Asian leaders on Monday expressed their condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior government officials, who were killed in a helicopter crash.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deepest” condolences on Raisi’s death and said the “great” Iranian nation will overcome this tragedy with “customary courage.”

Raisi had visited Pakistan last month.

“Pakistan will observe a day of mourning and the flag will fly at half-mast as a mark of respect for President Raisi and his companions and in solidarity with Brotherly Iran,” said Sharif.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is “saddened and shocked” over the demise of Raisi, adding that “His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered.”

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu expressed his “deep sadness” at Raisi’s untimely passing.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and people of Iran at this time of profound grief,” he added.

Moreover, a top Muslim cleric in Indian-administered Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, also expressed “deep” sadness over the tragic death of Iran’s president and foreign minister, according to the Anadolu news agency.

Farooq expressed condolences to the Iranian people, saying: “In this moment of grief, we stand in solidarity with all those mourning this great loss.”

Eurasian Countries

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also sent his condolences to Khamenei, saying that Raisi will “remain in history as a wise leader who devoted his entire life to selfless service to the Iranian people.”

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev sent Khamenei a letter that particularly notes the late president’s contribution to the development of mutually beneficial and long-term partnership between Uzbekistan and Iran.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan also expressed his condolences and support to Khamenei, the Iranian government and people over the death of Raisi and accompanying officials in a telegram shared by the country’s presidency.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon described Raisi as an “outstanding statesman,” and conveyed his appreciation of him for his contribution to the development of Tajik-Iranian relations.

According to a statement by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and the chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow sent their condolences to the Iranian leadership over Raisi’s death.

‘Upliftment of Ummah’

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Raisi “exemplified a deep commitment to the welfare of his people and the dignity of his nation, which represents a proud and rich civilization rooted in the principles of Islam.”

“His dedication to justice, peace, and the upliftment of the ummah was truly inspiring. We committed ourselves to bolstering Malaysia-Iran relations, working together for the betterment of our peoples and the Muslim world. Our pledge will be fulfilled,” he said.

Expressing his condolences on the deaths, Venezuelan president Nicola Maduro said Raisi was an “unconditional friend” of Venezuela.

He said he was “deeply saddened” for having to say goodbye to an exemplary person, an extraordinary leader of the world, who will always be an excellent human being, a defender of his people’s sovereignty, and an unconditional friend of our country,” Maduro said on X.

The European Union in a statement offered its condolences on the deaths.

“The EU expresses its sympathies to the families of all the victims and to the Iranian citizens affected,” the statement said.

‘Unthinkable Tragedy’

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “deeply saddened” by the air disaster.

President Ramaphosa, who as Deputy President paid a working visit to Iran in November 2015, said: “This is an extraordinary, unthinkable tragedy that has claimed a remarkable leader of a nation with whom South Africa enjoys strong bilateral relations and whom we were honoured to welcome to the BRICS fold in Johannesburg in 2023.”

The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas and other Palestinian and Arab movements also issued statements to express their condolence and sympathy.

Hamas said that the late president and foreign minister  “held honorable stances in supporting our Palestinian cause, backing our people’s legitimate struggle against the Zionist entity, and their valued support for the Palestinian resistance.”

“They made diligent efforts in solidarity and support in all forums and fields for our people in the steadfast Gaza Strip during the battle of Al-Aqsa Flood, and their intense political and diplomatic efforts to stop the zionist aggression against our Palestinian people.”

(PC, Anadolu)

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2 Comments

  1. He could have finally established peace, but unfortunately, ” SOME ONNNNNNE ” doesn’t want peace, so they keep protecting Israel. And isn’t it strange that they also have the ability to render drones useless in mid-flight. Surely that same technology could cause an ” accident ” by doing the same to a helicopter.
    FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE OF ISRAEL.

  2. The presidents and kings of Muslim countries their ministers their generals and their people to apply the Quran 100% to avoid death by plane crash train road accidents floods strong earthquakes tsunami volcano tornadoes lightnings fires heatwave sandstorm meteorite Covid-19 virus May 21, 2024.

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