Reuters reported on May 29, citing an American official, that the United States will boycott the UN General Assembly’s tribute to Ebrahim Raisi and the victims of the helicopter crash on May 30.
According to the Reuters report, this American official, who requested anonymity, emphasized that “some of the worst human rights abuses on record, especially against the women and girls of Iran, took place during Raisi’s tenure as head of the government of the Islamic Republic.” The official stressed that US representatives “will not participate under any circumstances” in this UN event, which was scheduled for Thursday, May 30.
It is said that the 193-member UN General Assembly traditionally convenes to pay respects to leaders who were heads of state at the time of their death, during which speeches about the deceased leader are delivered.
A minute of silence by the UN Security Council in memory of the victims of the helicopter crash involving senior officials of the Islamic Republic, held on May 21 with the presence of the US Deputy Ambassador to the UN and the UN Secretary-General at the office of Iran’s UN representative, paying respects to Ebrahim Raisi, the head of state, and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, faced widespread protests from Iranians and political figures from other countries.
The administration of US President Joe Biden was also severely criticized by some Republican members of Congress for expressing condolences to Iran over the death of Ebrahim Raisi and his associates. These Republicans called Ebrahim Raisi the “Butcher of Tehran” and deemed the US government’s condolence message inappropriate. However, White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby considered the message customary and stated that Raisi was undoubtedly a man whose hands were stained with the blood of many Iranians.
Ebrahim Raisi, the head of the thirteenth government of the Islamic Republic, his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Friday prayer leader of Tabriz, and several others were killed after their helicopter crashed in a forest in East Azerbaijan Province on May 19.
