Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi Had A “Lot Of Bood On His Hands” – White House

 Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had a “lot of blood on his hands”, the White House said on Monday despite Washington offering condolences after 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 told reporters, saying Raisi was responsible for “atrocious” rights abuses in Iran and had supported regional proxies including Hamas.

Kirby said, however, that “as in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate.”

A picture shows wreckage at the crash site of a helicopter transporting Iran’s President, his Foreign Minister, and others in a fog-covered mountainous area of Varzaghan in northwestern Iran on May 20, 2024 (Photo by Azin HAGHIGHI / MOJ News Agency / AFP)

Meanwhile, Iran announced Monday it will hold presidential elections on June 28, state media reported, following the death of Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash.

“The election calendar was approved at the meeting of the heads of the judiciary, government, and parliament,” state television said. “According to the initial agreement of the Guardian Council, it was decided that the 14th presidential election will be held on June 28.”

Iranians began mourning Raisi whose helicopter crashed into a fog-shrouded mountain, setting off a period of political uncertainty in the Islamic republic.

Raisi, 63, his foreign minister and seven others died when the aircraft went down on Sunday in a remote area of northwestern Iran, where the wreckage was only found on Monday morning.

The ultraconservative Raisi had been in office since 2021, a turbulent time during which Iran was rocked by mass protests, an economic crisis deepened by US sanctions, and armed exchanges with arch-enemy Israel.

Iranian President, Others Confirmed Dead

 

"No survivors" were found at the crash site of the helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi, according to Iranian state news channel IRINN and semi-official news agency Mehr News.

Reuters has also reported that the helicopter was "completely burned" in the crash, citing an Iranian official.

"President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash... unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead," the official said.

Minutes ago, Search teams confirmed finding the crash site of the helicopter, state TV says.

The head of Iran's Red Crescent society has told state TV that the situation is not "good".

The Iranian Red Crescent Society had announced early Monday that they had found the location of the wreckage of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter after it was detected by a Turkish Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Speaking to local media, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said that two kilometers are left to reach the area where the wreckage is located.

Iran's official news agency IRNA also confirmed the finding.

The news was posted on IRNA's Telegram account.

"The location of the President's helicopter has been found. Search and rescue teams approached the place where the accident occurred," the agency said.

After the helicopter carrying Raisi crashed, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense assigned an Akinci UAV and a Cougar type helicopter with night vision capabilities to participate in search activities.

President Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony for a dam on the Iran-Azerbaijan border on Sunday by helicopter.

Iranian state television reported that the accident occurred when Raisi's helicopter made a hard landing while returning from the region.

Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Malik Rahmeti, the governor of East Azerbaijan Province, and Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim of Tabriz province were also on board the helicopter.

Search and rescue teams say that work continues with difficulty due to adverse weather conditions. (Pieced together from reports by CNN, BBC and Anadolu Agency)