Iran Links US Sanctions With President Raisi’s Death; White House ‘Condolence’ Says He Had “Lot of Blood On His Hands”

Update(1437ET): More details have emerge of the helicopter crash in remote far northern Iran on Sunday which killed President Ebrahim Raisi and some top officials. Iranian state media is citing a “technical failure” which caused the helicopter to crash in the site of a mountain not far from the border of Azerbaijan. Iran state media has also blamed US-led sanctions which have heavily targeted its aviation sector for years. The Bell helicopter transporting the Iranian head of state was reportedly at least 40 years old, but there was also inclement weather and heavy fog in the region over the weekend.

State funerals are being planned, reportedly which will take place over three cities in as many days, which will include public processions. Heads of state allied with Iran are expected to attend, and it will be interesting to see whether Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi will be attending in Tehran. As for the White House, it has released the following message via John Kirby: he offered the government’s “condolences” for the death of President Raisi, but he said “we’re going to continue to stand with the Iranian people as they fight for their own civil rights and, as they should, and we’re going to continue to hold Iran accountable for all their destabilizing behavior in the region, which continues to this day.”

Kirby also emphasized that the Iranian leader had “a lot of blood on his hands” as he was responsible for “atrocious human rights in his own country.” The White House further said he had long supported “terrorist networks throughout the region.”