- Saturday, July 27, 2024
The Iranian leader died, along with some top officials of his government, in the accident which took place in a mountainous and forested area of Iran in poor weather.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (20) condoled the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in his country saying he was “deeply saddened and shocked”.
In a post on X, he also said that Raisi had made significant contributions towards strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship and that India stands with Iran in the time of sorrow.
“Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow,” Modi wrote on X.
Read: Iran president’s helicopter makes ‘hard landing’ says state TV
Raisi died in the accident which took place in a mountainous and forested area of Iran in poor weather. Some top officials of his government also perished, including foreign minister Hossein Amir-abdollahian.
Malek Rahmati, governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province; Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, representative of the Iranian supreme leader in East Azerbaijan; and Mehdi Mousavi, head of presidential guard were also among the victims besides the helicopter’s pilot, co-pilot and crew.
They were returning from an event with the president of neighbouring Azerbaijan, Ibrahim Aliyev, when the tragedy took place. A massive search operation was launched despite an inclement weather and support was extended by countries such as Russia and international blocs such as the European Union.
Multiple Iranian media outlets released pictures of the helicopter’s wreckage. Authorities said some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition along with the aircraft.
Raisi, 63, was a former chief justice and represented conservative and hardline factions in Iranian politics. He has been in office since August 2021 and appeared to run for re-election next year.
He was also touted as a potential successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 85-year-old supreme leader of the Middle Eastern nation.
