International Reactions to the Death of Ebrahim Raisi: From Hamas and Houthis to Russia and Syria

Following the official announcement of the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, in a helicopter crash that occurred on Sunday, international reactions to this incident began from various groups and countries. In the helicopter crash, which took place in the Arasbaran forests at the border point between Iran and Azerbaijan, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Raisi's government, Mohammad Ali Al Hashem, the Friday prayer leader of Tabriz, Hossein Malek Rahmati, the governor of East Azerbaijan, and several others lost their lives. A rescue team was previously dispatched to Tabriz at the order of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, to search for the wreckage of the helicopter and the fate of its occupants. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, expressed condolences to the Islamic Republic on Monday, stating that "the European Union expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and the Iranian citizens." Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also expressed his condolences at the beginning of one of his working sessions, saying: "I express my condolences for the tragic passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other accompanying members. In this difficult time, we remember their families and the people of Iran." Farah Dakhilallah, the spokesperson for NATO, also expressed condolences to the Iranian people for the death of the president and foreign minister and other victims of the helicopter crash. In Russia, Vladimir Putin's conversation with Raisi's interim successor took place on Monday, where he expressed his condolences to the Islamic Republic in a message published on the Kremlin's website, writing: "Please accept my deepest condolences regarding the great tragedy that has befallen the Islamic Republic of Iran. The helicopter crash claimed the life of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the president, and several prominent officials of your country." Putin also sent a condolence message to Ali Khamenei, stating that "Ebrahim Raisi was a true friend of Russia and personally made a valuable contribution to the development of good neighborliness between our countries and made great efforts to elevate these relations to a level of strategic cooperation." Putin described Ebrahim Raisi as a "distinguished politician" and referred to his death as an "irreparable loss." On the same day, he also had a phone call with Mohammad Mokhber, emphasizing Raisi's role in "expanding friendly cooperation between the two countries." Mohammad Mokhber is the first vice president of Iran, who has taken over the executive affairs of Iran following Raisi's death. According to the Russian news agency TASS, Mokhber also informed the Russian president during this phone conversation that Iran will continue to expand relations with Russia. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, also expressed condolences on Monday, referring to Ebrahim Raisi as "a true patriot of the Islamic Republic and a reliable friend of Russia." Lavrov stated: "In Russia, Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, were recognized as true and reliable friends of our country, and their role in strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Iran and valuable trust-based partnership has been significant." Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian presidency, stated on Monday that Iranian officials had not requested assistance from Russian security agencies to investigate the causes of the helicopter crash carrying Ebrahim Raisi. In response to a question about whether Russian security services intended to participate in the investigation of the helicopter crash, he told reporters: "No signals have been received in this regard from our Iranian friends." Sergey Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, responded to a question from the Russian news agency TASS regarding whether Iran's cooperation with Russia would be affected by the death of the president and foreign minister of Iran, stating: "We also maintain the position that all agreements previously made will be implemented." Other reactions included Xi Jinping, the President of China, who also expressed his "deep sorrow" and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing stated on behalf of the Chinese leader that Ebrahim Raisi "made significant contributions to maintaining security and stability in Iran, promoting national development and prosperity, and positive efforts to strengthen and expand comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Iran." The spokesperson added: "His tragic passing is a great loss for the people of Iran, and the people of China have also lost a good friend." Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, also expressed condolences on Monday for the death of Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, referring to Raisi as a "valuable colleague and brother." Erdoğan wrote on social media: "As a colleague who personally witnessed his efforts to promote peace for the people of Iran and our region during his tenure, I respectfully and gratefully remember Mr. Raisi." He added that Turkey stands by Iran during this difficult time. Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, a close ally of Tehran that the Islamic Republic has supported throughout years of war, wrote: "We collaborated with the late President of Iran to ensure that the flourishing of strategic relations between Syria and Iran is always guaranteed." The press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated in a statement that "we are affected by the latest news from Iran. This is an irreparable loss, not only for the Iranian community." The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of the victims. Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, also sent a written message to Ali Khamenei, expressing condolences and stating that Armenia and its people will stand by their friendly neighbor and its people during this difficult time. At the international level, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, also reacted to this news on social media, writing: "The European Union expresses its heartfelt condolences for the passing of Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister." Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, stated on Channel 5 of her country regarding this matter: "I see that Iranian officials accept the issue of the accident and not conspiracy theories." She added that "I see no change in Iran's internal order; we are in constant contact with our European allies and the G7 regarding an incident that is part of a complex regional framework. I hope that Iran's future leadership will commit itself to stability and calming the region." Japan, South Korea, Qatar, the UAE, Turkey, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Malaysia also officially expressed condolences on Monday for the death of Ebrahim Raisi and the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic. Hakan Fidan, the Turkish foreign minister, stated on Monday at a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, in Islamabad: "From the moment we heard the news of the incident, we have been in contact with Iranian officials and mobilized all resources to assist in rescue efforts, but unfortunately, no good news came." He also expressed condolences to the Iranian officials. On the other hand, Hannah Neumann, a German member of the European Parliament, wrote in a message: "Today, I think of all the victims. And with my friends across Iran, I hope that whoever comes after him will be more humane." Ebrahim Raisi was a member of the so-called Death Committee in the important case of the execution of thousands of prisoners in the summer of '67, a committee that met with Hossein Ali Montazeri, the then-deputy of Khomeini, who protested these executions, and heard from Montazeri that because of these executions, "their names will be written among the criminals of history." In India and Pakistan, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, expressed "deep sorrow" over the death of Ebrahim Raisi, stating on social media that he was "shocked" to hear this news. He referred to Ebrahim Raisi as a leader whose "participation in deepening bilateral relations between Iran and India will always be remembered." Modi stated that India will stand by Iran during this period of "mourning." Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, wrote on social media that "Pakistan will hold a day of national mourning and will lower its flag to honor the President of Iran and his companions and to show solidarity with the brother country." He added: "I, along with the government and people of Pakistan, express my deepest condolences and sympathy to the people of Iran in this terrible loss. The great nation of Iran will overcome this tragedy with its usual courage." The Prime Minister of Pakistan hosted Ebrahim Raisi in Islamabad for a three-day visit in April to improve relations between the two neighbors following deadly reciprocal attacks earlier in the year. Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Prime Minister of the Taliban, also wrote in a statement: "We share in the grief of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its people and express our condolences to all the families of the victims, the nation, and the government of Iran. In these hard days, we stand with the people of Iran and pray for forgiveness for all the victims of this incident and patience for their families." The extremist group Hamas, which is on the U.S. and EU terrorist lists, also expressed "deep sorrow" over the news of Ebrahim Raisi's death, stating that it expresses condolences to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and "the people of Iran" for this "great loss." Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee in Yemen, which is supported by Iran, also expressed "deep sorrow" over the news of Raisi's death, stating that he prays to God to grant patience and reward to the family of the Iranian president. He added that in his belief, "the people of Iran will continue to follow their leaders loyal to their people, God willing." In the Arab world, Lebanon and Syria declared three days of public mourning for the President and Foreign Minister of Iran who were killed in the helicopter crash on Monday. The armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon also expressed condolences for their deaths. King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a message expressing condolences for the death of Ebrahim Raisi and his companions to Mohammad Mokhber, the acting head of the executive branch. Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, stated on Monday that "the United Arab Emirates stands by Iran during this difficult time." Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, also wrote on social media: "Sincere condolences to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the passing of Ebrahim Raisi, the president, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister, and their companions in the painful helicopter crash. We ask God Almighty for mercy and forgiveness for them and patience and reward for their families. Indeed, we are from God, and to Him, we shall return." Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, also stated in a statement: "With great sorrow and deep regret, we received the sad news of the passing of Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister, and their companions in the airplane crash in northern Iran. We express our sincere condolences and sympathy to the great leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Khamenei, and to the people of Iran, the government, and its people. We express our solidarity with the brotherly people of Iran and the officials of the Islamic Republic in this painful tragedy." Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the President of Egypt, also announced in a message that Egypt "mourns deeply the passing of the President of Iran and the senior diplomat of Tehran." Sisi, who has moved closer to normalizing relations with Iran in recent years, expressed his "sincere condolences and sympathy" to the people of Iran. Following the sudden improvement in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, Tehran and Cairo have also been seeking to repair decades of tense relations, and diplomatic exchanges between the two countries have increased in recent months since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Sisi and Raisi met for the first time in November in Riyadh, and Raisi congratulated Sisi on his re-election the following month. On Monday, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, also expressed condolences to the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, while officials inside and outside expressed sorrow over Ebrahim Raisi's death, several opposition figures expressed regret that the opportunity to prosecute him was missed. Hamid Ismailioun, from the families seeking justice for the downed Ukrainian plane, wrote on social media: "The people of Iran, who are victims of crimes against humanity, deserve to see justice." He added: "It was deserved that Ebrahim Raisi (the judge of death, a member of the Supreme National Security Council at the time of the downing of flight PS752 and the crimes of the bloody November) and other criminals of the Islamic government be tried in a fair court for committing crimes against humanity." According to Ismailioun, "the opportunity for justice" regarding Ebrahim Raisi was "taken from the victims, but his name will remain in the darkness and criminality of history." Masih Ali-Najad, a journalist and women's rights activist, also wrote in a message: "Dear people of Iran, celebrating the death of Ebrahim Raisi and the murderers of the nation is your right. Celebrate! The wounded people, the oppressed people, needed a spirit for revolutionary synergy, and this opportunity should be used to gather the people's forces and capabilities. Let us celebrate." Nazanin Boniadi, an actress and political activist, also wrote that "Ebrahim Raisi, the butcher of Tehran and perpetrator of crimes against humanity, is dead. He may have escaped justice in this world, but see how the consequences of his actions caught up with him. May freedom and justice prevail for the people of Iran. He is gone."