Top Kurdish leaders on Monday offered condolences to Iran after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest on Sunday, May 19.
Our deepest condolences and sympathies are with the leadership, government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, the foreign minister and others.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) May 20, 2024
In this difficult moment, our thoughts are with the Iranian people -mb.
“Our deepest condolences and sympathies are with the leadership, government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, the foreign minister and others,” Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani posted on X.
“In this difficult moment, our thoughts are with the Iranian people,” he added.
Moreover, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in a statement offered his “heartfelt condolences to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, His Excellency Sayyed Ali Khamenei, as well as to the leadership, government, and people of Iran, and the families affected by this tragedy.
“The passing of President Raisi is an immense tragedy and a profound loss for the Islamic Republic of Iran, its people, and its friends.”
Iran’s President Raisi was scheduled to visit Baghdad and Erbil to discuss bilateral relations this month.
“As for the President of Iran, our conversation did touch upon his upcoming visit to Baghdad. I am hopeful that he will accept my official invitation to also visit the Kurdistan Region during his trip to Baghdad,” President Barzani announced in a press conference on May 7 during an official visit to Iran.
During his trip he met with President Raisi and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as other senior Iranian officials.
Former Foreign Minister of Iraq and senior Kurdistan Democratic Party official Hoshyar Zebari on May 19 posted on X to express his worries about the helicopter accident, when it was still not known if President Raisi had survived the incident or not.
He also confirmed that they had been planning to receive President Raisi at the end of this month.
