By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced on Monday, 20 ,May, 2024 five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi who died alongside 7 others in a helicopter crash on Sunday, 19 May, 2024.
“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” said Khamenei in an official statement a day after the death of Raisi and other officials in the crash in East Azerbaijan province.
Meanwhile, Iran’s powerful allies on Monday, 20 May, 2024 mourned the death of its President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, while regional militants hailed him as a supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Russia and China called the ultraconservative leader a “friend”, while Iran’s arch-foes the United States and Israel had yet to react publicly.
Here is a roundup of key reactions:
China
China’s President Xi Jinping said “his tragic death is a great loss to the Iranian people, and the Chinese people have lost a good friend,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference.
European Union
The European Union expressed its “sincere condolences”.
“Our thoughts go to the families,” EU Council President Charles Michel said in a statement.
France
France sent its condolences “to the Islamic Republic of Iran… (and) to the families of the victims of this accident,” in a statement from the foreign ministry.
India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise” of Raisi, adding that “India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.”
Iranian opposition
Exiled Iranian opposition group the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said Raisi’s death “represents a monumental and irreparable strategic blow to the Mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the entire regime, notorious for its executions and massacres”, in a statement from the group’s leader, Maryam Rajavi.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Raisi as an “outstanding politician” and said his death was an “irreplaceable loss.”
“As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good-neighbourly relations between our countries, and made great efforts to take them to the level of a strategic partnership,” Putin said in a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Turkey
Turkey was “deeply saddened” by Raisi’s death and “shares the pain of the friendly and brotherly Iranian people,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent his “sincere condolences to the friendly and fraternal people and government,” in a message on X, formerly Twitter.
Hamas
Hamas mourned Raisi as an “honourable supporter” of the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group whose October 7 attack on Israel sparked the bloodiest-ever war in the coastal territory.
Hamas said it appreciated Raisi’s “support for the Palestinian resistance and tireless efforts in solidarity” with Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Hezbollah
Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah group, which has traded deadly cross-border fire with Israel during the war, praised Raisi as “a strong supporter, and a staunch defender of our causes… and a protector of the resistance movements”.
Lebanon announced three official days of mourning.
Huthis
Yemen’s Tehran-backed Huthi rebels saying Raisi’s death “is a loss not only for Iran but also for the entire Islamic world and Palestine and Gaza,” Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said on X, adding that the Palestinians were “in dire need of the presence of such a president who continued to defend” their right to freedom.
Gulf states
Iran’s Gulf neighbours: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar sent their condolences.
The oil-rich UAE “stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time”, said Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, called the news “painful”.
Syria
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed solidarity with close ally Tehran, which has backed him during more than a decade of civil war.
“We worked with the late President to ensure that strategic relations between Syria and Iran flourish always,” the Syrian presidency said in a statement.
Source: AFP
