The White House has highlighted the contentious legacy of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, acknowledging his severe human rights abuses and support for regional proxies, even as it extended general condolences following his death in a helicopter crash.
“This was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday. “Raisi was responsible for atrocious rights abuses in Iran and had supported regional proxies including Hamas.”
Despite these remarks, Kirby added, “As in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate.”
Raisi, 63, died alongside his foreign minister and seven others when their helicopter crashed into a fog-shrouded mountain in northwestern Iran. The wreckage was discovered on Monday morning, a day after the crash.
Following the incident, Iran has scheduled presidential elections for June 28. Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will assume interim presidential duties until the elections. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who declared a five-day mourning period, stated, “The Iranian nation has lost a sincere and valuable servant.”
Thousands gathered in Tehran’s Valiasr Square to pay their respects to Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Funeral rites are set to begin on Tuesday in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, with a funeral procession planned for Wednesday in Tehran.
In response to the crash, Iran’s military chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, has ordered “a high-ranking committee to launch an investigation into the cause of the president’s helicopter crash.”
