As India declared one-day national mourning, the national flag at Rashtrapati Bhavan flies at half mast in Delhi on Tuesday following the tragic deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Foreign Minister, and other high-ranking officials in a helicopter crash. The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi has lowered its flag to half-mast. Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a fatal helicopter crash. In a post on social media platform X, PM Modi acknowledges Raisi's contribution in strengthening the India-Iran bilateral relationship.
"Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening the 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," PM Modi wrote. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condoled the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who died in a helicopter crash in the country's mountainous northwest region.
World leaders offer condolences
Following the deaths of the Iranian President and other officials, world leaders offered their condolences on Monday to Raisi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, and other officials who were on board. Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Khansari also posted a message of condolences and expressed his condolences on the "martyrdom" of his successor, Hossein Amirabdollahian, along with President Raisi.
Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's Foreign Minister die in helicopter crash
It should be noted here that the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and his accompanying delegation crashed on Sunday in the Dizmar forest in East Azarbaijan Province. The Iranian President was returning to Iran following a visit to Azerbaijan when his helicopter came down in bad weather conditions on Sunday afternoon. Raisi's death, along with the Foreign Minister and other officials in the helicopter crash came as Iran struggles with internal dissent and its relations with the wider world.
Who was Ebrahim Raisi?
Iran's hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi had long been seen as a protégé to Iran's supreme leader and a potential successor for his position within the country's Shiite theocracy. He earlier ran Iran's judiciary. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2017 against Hassan Rouhani, the relatively moderate cleric who as president reached Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. In 2021, Raisi ran again in an election that saw all of his potentially prominent opponents barred for running under Iran's vetting system. He swept nearly 62% of the 28.9 million votes, the lowest turnout by percentage in the Islamic Republic's history. Millions stayed home and others voided ballots.
(With inputs from agencies)
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