All news

Lavrov arrives at Iranian ambassador’s residence to offer condolences over Raisi’s death

The book of condolences opened on May 22 and will be available to the public in the next two days

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived at the residence of Iran’s ambassador in Moscow to offer his condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash, a TASS correspondent reported.

The Russian foreign minister was welcomed by Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali, and then Lavrov signed a book of condolences.

The book of condolences opened on May 22 and will be available to the public in the next two days.

The farewell ceremony for Raisi and other high-ranking officials killed in a helicopter crash is being held in Tehran on May 22. Seyed Mahmoud Hosseini, head of the Islamic Propagation Organization of East Azerbaijan Province, told the Mehr news agency on Monday that Raisi would be laid to rest in his birthplace, the city of Mashhad, and that the funeral would take place on May 23.

Raisi’s helicopter crashed in Iran’s province of East Azerbaijan on May 19. Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati, Tabriz's Friday Prayer Imam Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Al-Hashem, and the chief of presidential bodyguards were also on board. The five passengers and three crew died.

A panel of inquiry has been set up to probe into the causes of the disaster. First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber became Iran’s acting president. An early presidential election is scheduled for June 28.