Condolences pour in from allies and neighbours as Iran mourns Ebrahim Raisi

Iran’s allies and neighbours have sent condolences to Tehran following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, with the leaders of China, Russia, Venezuela and Turkey among the first to respond.

Reaction in western capitals was more muted, underscoring the Islamic republic’s divisive position in global politics, but the US, France and the EU offered their condolences.

Iranian authorities had confirmed on Monday that Raisi and Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash on the previous day in a remote region in Iran’s Arasbaran Forest, near the border with Azerbaijan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was swift to express his country’s sorrow. He praised Raisi’s “invaluable personal contribution to growing friendly relations between our countries”, adding that his Iranian counterpart had been crucial in forging a “strategic partnership” between Moscow and Tehran.

The two countries have backed the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s more than decade-long civil war. They also have deepening military ties, with Iran providing Russia with drones and munitions for its war in Ukraine.

Assad on Monday mourned the “painful incident and the great loss that resulted from it”.

China’s President Xi Jinping had sent a message expressing “deep sorrow on behalf of the Chinese government and people”, Beijing’s foreign ministry said. Raisi had made “significant contributions to maintaining Iran’s security and stability” and his death “deprived the Chinese people of a good friend”, Xi said.

“China will continue to support the Iranian government and people in maintaining independence, stability and development,” the statement added.

Along with Russia and China, Iran is an important ally for Venezuela as Caracas struggles to rebuild the country’s oil industry amid US sanctions. President Nicolás Maduro said he and his wife Cilia were “overwhelmed by great sadness at having to bid farewell to an exemplary person, an extraordinary world leader”.

Condolences also flooded in from across the so-called axis of resistance, a network of Iran-backed regional proxies that includes Hizbollah, Hamas, Yemen’s Houthis and the Shia militias in Iraq. 

Hizbollah said Raisi “was to us a big brother, a strong supporter, a staunch defender of our causes . . . and a protector of the resistance movements”. It also mourned the death of Amirabdollahian, calling him a “dear brother”.

Hamas conveyed its “deepest condolences and solidarity” and mourned “the immense loss”, praising the deceased Iranian officials for their steadfast support of the Palestinian cause and resistance against Israel.

Arab states, which have a history of fraught ties with Iran, also expressed sympathy. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates, were among regional powers that offered their condolences.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sought to de-escalate tensions with Iran in recent years.

The strong signals of support from Iran’s allies and neighbours contrasted with the subdued reaction from western capitals. Iran has endured hostile relations with the US and other western nations since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Tensions with the west have heightened over Tehran’s military support for Putin since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted after the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack last year.

Iran considers Israel and the US to be its leading foes, and last month launched its first-ever direct attack on the Jewish state in response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus. Iran is also the target of swingeing and long-standing economic sanctions by the US and EU, among others related to its nuclear programme.

Western capitals and Israel will be considering the consequences for Iran’s future leadership, as Raisi was widely considered a possible successor to the country’s 85-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government did not immediately give a public response to news of Raisi’s death, but opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “Iran will enter a period of instability — the strategic relations between [the US and Israel] are more important than ever.”

The US expressed “its official condolences” on Monday. “As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” state department spokesman Matt Miller added.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the US was monitoring the situation and Iran’s investigation into the crash. “We don’t have any insights into the cause of the accident at this point,” he added.

European Council president Charles Michel said the EU “expresses its sincere condolences for the death of President Raisi and foreign minister Amirabdollahian”.

The French foreign ministry said France “expressed its condolences” to Iran and the families of the victims.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: “We are in constant contact with our European and G7 allies because we are talking about an incident that is part of a particularly complex regional framework.”

She added: “I hope that the future Iranian leadership wants to commit itself to the stabilisation and pacification of the region.”

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed his condolences and called for a minute’s silence as he opened a nuclear conference in Vienna.  

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Lebanon declared three days of mourning after Raisi’s death.

Turkey, which like the UAE has recently sought rapprochement with Tehran, also offered its condolences. “As a colleague who personally witnessed his efforts for the peace of the Iranian people and our region during his time in office, I remember [Raisi] with respect and gratitude,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Reporting by Adam Samson, Maxine Kelly, Chloe Cornish, Neri Zilber, Max Seddon, Amy Kazmin, Raya Jalabi, Michael Stott and Joe Leahy