World Reacts To Death Of Iranian President Raisi

An Iranian woman prays for President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on May 19 after it was reported that the helicopter carrying Raisi and his entourage crashed in northwestern Iran.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared five days of mourning after the bodies of Raisi, 63, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, 60, were found at the site of a helicopter crash on May 20.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber speaks during a government cabinet meeting in Tehran on May 20 next to an empty chair, draped in a black fabric, where Raisi normally sat.

Khamenei has named Mokhber interim president. 

An Iranian woman reads a newspaper with a front-page report on the crash.



 

An Iranian Shi'ite pilgrim in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, shows the news on her phone announcing the death of Raisi.

The ultraconservative Raisi was widely tipped to become the country's next supreme leader.

Muslim clerics offer condolences for Raisi and others killed during the helicopter crash at the Khamenei's representative office in Najaf.

 

A woman mourns the death of Raisi in Tehran's Vali-Asr Square.

An anti-government protester holds a placard of Raisi in front of the Iranian Embassy in Berlin.

Raisi was dubbed the "Butcher of Tehran" for his role as one of the judges who oversaw the executions of thousands of political prisoners in the late 1980s.

Protesters in Berlin shout anti-government slogans.

Various human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned Raisi. Amnesty International has called for him to be investigated for crimes against humanity.

A man lowers the Lebanese national flag to half-mast outside the government palace, as caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared three days of mourning in Lebanon.

 

Flowers and a card that reads, "We mourn" are left near the Iranian Embassy in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Raisi as an "outstanding politician," and "a true friend of Russia."

People holds signs reading "Iran - 19.05.2024" (left) and "Iran we are with you" outside the embassy in Moscow.

Pedestrians in Beijing watch a large screen showing footage of Raisi announcing the news of his death.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called Raisi's death "tragic" and said that "the Chinese people have lost a good friend," a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said.

 

People lay flowers near pictures of Raisi during a vigil paying tribute to him and other victims outside the Iranian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

European Council President Charles Michel said the European Union "expresses its sincere condolences."