International Responses to Raisi’s Death: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
May 21, 2024
Co-authored with Visiting Fellow Sarah Raviani
On Sunday, May 19, Islamic Republic President Ebrahim Raisi died, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in a helicopter crash near the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan. This death has sparked a variety of responses around the world, ranging from teary-eyed condolences to celebrations. This piece aims to capture the spectrum of these responses from government officials, revealing the predispositions of several key actors towards the Islamic Republic.
The Good
- This section highlights the individuals and nations who seized upon Raisi's death to recognize his long-standing oppression of the Iranian people, express solidarity with the Iranian people's desire for regime change, or criticize international condolences extended to Raisi. Rather than legitimizing the regime on a world stage, these responses echo the hope for a democratic future in Iran.- **United States House of Representatives**(https://x.com/MarioDB/status/1792670761037226432)- (https://x.com/RepDonaldsPress/status/1792878855134347340)- (https://x.com/RepBethVanDuyne/status/1792644868168176083)- *House Majority Whip*, (https://x.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1792637941866491951)- (https://x.com/RepPatFallon/status/1792594281774854616)- (https://x.com/RepChuck/status/1792618799969055218)- *Speaker of the House*, (https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1792669169403494688)- (https://x.com/RepLangworthy/status/1792631042840371423)- (https://x.com/RepBrianMast/status/1792594648684277994)- (https://x.com/RepLisaMcClain/status/1792557388933042239)- (https://x.com/ZachNunn/status/1792682944433172899)- (https://x.com/RepBurgessOwens/status/1792959744627617817)- (https://x.com/RepPeteStauber/status/1792653985381269820)- (https://x.com/RepSwalwell/status/1792570786513146160)- (https://x.com/RepTenney/status/1792630121666371827)- (https://x.com/michaelgwaltz/status/1792259643047125162)- (https://x.com/RepJoeWilson/status/1793027045401768005)- **United States Senate**(https://x.com/SenJohnBarrasso/status/1792968537495015515)- (https://x.com/SenTedBuddNC/status/1792671724497944688)- (https://x.com/SenTomCotton/status/1792622476641321114)- (https://x.com/SenTedCruz/status/1792729240250572897)- (https://x.com/SenJoniErnst/status/1792706286628602163)- (https://x.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1792660277780987999)- *Senate Minority Leader*, (https://x.com/burgessev/status/1792638905407213880)- (https://x.com/SenMarcoRubio/status/1792605729389486200)- (https://x.com/SenRickScott/status/1792648323993584057)- (https://x.com/SenatorTimScott/status/1792969912832364707)- (https://x.com/SenDanSullivan/status/1792655146586886538)- **United States - Former Senior Officials**(https://x.com/NikkiHaley/status/1792566686585131229)- (https://x.com/Mike_Pence/status/1792556684075811134)- **European Parliament (EU)***Former Prime Minister of Belgium*, (https://x.com/guyverhofstadt/status/1792453509197279722)- Dutch (https://x.com/MPHoogeveen/status/1792836387806536040)- German (https://x.com/HNeumannMEP/status/1792829401983590413)- Swedish (https://x.com/weimers/status/1792515831227662730)- **Latvia**(https://x.com/RihardsKols/status/1792639168490713134)- **Lithuania**(https://x.com/GLandsbergis/status/1792606098676973914)- **The Netherlands**(https://x.com/geertwilderspvv/status/1792435140599177627)- **United Kingdom**(https://x.com/TomTugendhat/status/1792548806329802802)
The Bad
- This section highlights the individuals and nations who did not seize upon Raisi's death to recognize his key role in the long-standing oppression of the Iranian people or express solidarity with the Iranian people's desire for regime change, and instead chose to lend legitimacy to the Islamic Republic regime with some even praising Raisi. These responses legitimize and prop up the brutal regime in Iran. - **United States Senate**Senate Chaplain Rear Adm. (Ret.) Barry Black’s (https://x.com/HowardMortman/status/1792632774207135943)- (https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/1793318788504424484)- **Afghanistan**(https://x.com/presstv/status/1793276060181594214?s=46&t=BXaWMW610ydToiATDEXX4A)- **Burundi**(https://x.com/GeneralNeva/status/1792647287144947764)- **China**(https://x.com/SpokespersonCHN/status/1792474218933944795)- **Georgia**(https://x.com/iliadarch/status/1792519309908115693)- **Hungary**(https://x.com/PM_ViktorOrban/status/1792507434298138797)- **India**(https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1792418659803038064)- (https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1792870485128020146)- **Malaysia**(https://x.com/anwaribrahim/status/1792446890992370141)- **North Korea**(https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-koreas-kim-sends-condolence-message-iran-kcna-says-2024-05-20/)- **Russia**(http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/74070)- **South Africa**(https://x.com/CyrilRamaphosa/status/1792519643711578525)- **Switzerland**(https://x.com/ignaziocassis/status/1792501693566857706)- **Tanzania**(https://x.com/SuluhuSamia/status/1792549993124954297)- **World Health Organization (WHO)**(https://x.com/DrTedros/status/1792526533287940110)
The Ugly
- This section highlights the actors whose responses to the death of Ebrahim Raisi were particularly disappointing or shameful, focusing on institutions which are meant to stand for the promotion of peace, protection of human rights, or international security, but nonetheless expressed condolences for the passing of Ebrahim Raisi.- **United States Department of State**(https://www.state.gov/on-the-death-of-iranian-president-raisi-and-others-in-a-helicopter-crash/)- **European Union (EU)**(https://x.com/CharlesMichel/status/1792438047058890987)- (https://x.com/JosepBorrellF/status/1792491585562656984)- **International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA)**(https://x.com/rafaelmgrossi/status/1792486523268379074)- **North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)**(https://x.com/NATOpress/status/1792508173535883362)- **United Nations (UN)**(https://www.un.org/en/delegate/lowering-un-flags-half-mast-tuesday-21-may)- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfrQDoymke8)- (https://x.com/AminaJMohammed/status/1792593036154741202)
