World mourns loss of Iranian President Raisi

Global leaders on Monday (20 May) have been expressing their condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions in a helicopter crash. Earlier in the day, Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri confirmed media reports that Raisi and his delegation, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, died on Sunday in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran on their way back from a visit to Azerbaijan.

"I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several other officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran. My heartfelt condolences go out to the people of Iran during this profoundly difficult time. May Allah bless their souls and place them among the Righteous," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on X.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed his deepest condolences to the Iranian people and government, as well as to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, over Raisi’s death.

"As Turkey, we will stand by our neighbor Iran in these difficult and tragic days, as we have done so many times before," Erdogan said on X.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a letter to Khamenei expressed his condolences and said that with the death of Raisi "the Iranian people lost a prominent statesman who served his country with dedication and loyalty all his life."

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his condolences, adding that as the Iranian president, Raisi had worked to serve the interests of Iran, improve the welfare of his people and preserve stability in the region.

OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais and the OPEC Secretariat also extended their condolences on the passing of the Iranian president to his family and the Iranian people, the organization said on X.

Authorities of South Africa and Japan joined in offering their condolences to Iran as well.

A number of other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have sent condolences to Iran earlier in the day. Several countries, such as Iraq and Lebanon, declared state-level mourning over Raisi's death.