UN Chief Mourns Loss Of Iranian President In Helicopter Crash

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, alongside members of the Security Council, has extended heartfelt condolences to the people and Government of Iran following the death of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter accident on Sunday.

The crash, which occurred in a mountainous region of northwestern Iran, also claimed the lives of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six other passengers.

“The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mr. Guterres’ Spokesperson said in a statement released in New York on Monday.

The members of the Security Council joined the Secretary-General in expressing condolences as they convened on Monday.

Led by Pedro Comissário Afonso, Permanent Representative of Mozambique and Council President for May, the ambassadors observed a moment of silence at the start of the body’s 9629th meeting.

According to media reports, President Raisi’s funeral is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, and all cultural events in the country have been cancelled during what is now an official period of mourning.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, led a minute of silence in honour of the passing of those who died, at a conference on nuclear security taking place in Vienna on Monday.

IAEA inspectors have been working with authorities for years at Iran’s nuclear sites in order to limit capacity to purely civilian use.

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