Latin American dictators mourn death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

Latin American dictators mourned the death of the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi after the Iranian government confirmed his helicopter crashed in a tragic accident in the mountainous northwestern Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro posted on his X account that he is “dismayed” by the loss of Raisi.

“(My wife) Cilia, who is a friend of your wife, and I are overcome with great pain for having to say goodbye to an exemplary person, an extraordinary leader of the world as our brother Ebrahim is and will always be, an excellent human being, defender of the sovereignty of his people and unconditional friend of our country,” he expressed.

Estoy consternado ante la dura noticia sobre la sensible pérdida física del Presidente de la República Islámica de Irán, Ebrahim Raisi. A Cilia, quien es amiga de su señora esposa, y a mí nos embarga un gran dolor por tener que despedir a una persona ejemplar, un extraordinario… pic.twitter.com/h3LOX1Zhn9

— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) May 20, 2024

Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel also expressed his condolences over the death of the Iranian president in his X account, calling him a “great friend, admirable politician and loved by his people.”

“The Party, the Government and the people of Cuba deeply regret the loss of a great friend, admirable politician and loved by his people: the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, his foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his companions,” he wrote.El Partido, el Gobierno y el pueblo de #Cuba, lamentan profundamente la pérdida de un gran amigo, político admirable y querido por su pueblo: el Presidente de la República Islámica de #Irán Ebrahim Raisi, de su canciller Hossein Amir Abdollahian y sus acompañantes. pic.twitter.com/hnDoHTGgYh

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) May 20, 2024

For its part, the communist Nicaraguan regime of Daniel Ortega expressed its "solidarity" with the Iranian people after hearing the news of the plane crash of which President Raisi was a victim.

“We are very attentive to your communications, Your Excellency Ayatollah and Supreme Leader of that brother country (Alí Khamenei), which we appreciate so much,” says a letter signed by both Ortega and the vice president, Rosario Murillo, according to the state sponsored Russian news agency Sputnik.

This Monday, the Iranian Government confirmed the death of Raisi, and his Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, after a helicopter accident in a mountainous area in the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.

Other senior leaders of the Islamic Republic, members of its security team and the pilots were traveling on the helicopter, a total of eight people, none of whom survived.