South African president saddened by his Iranian counterpart's tragic death

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday expressed condolences over the tragic helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other senior officials.

The helicopter carrying Raisi made a hard landing due to bad weather while returning from a dam inauguration ceremony near the Azerbaijan border on Sunday afternoon.

Tehran on Monday morning confirmed that Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials died in the crash in the country's northern East Azerbaijan province.

“This is an extraordinary, unthinkable tragedy that has claimed a remarkable leader of a nation with whom South Africa enjoys strong bilateral relations and whom we were honored to welcome to the BRICS fold in Johannesburg in 2023,” Ramaphosa said in a statement issued by his office.

BRICS is a bloc of emerging economies, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and recently admitted Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as full members.

Ramaphosa said his country joins Iran in this moment of mourning, and that his thoughts are with the affected families and the administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He also offered his deep condolences to the Supreme Leader of Iran, The Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, as well as the government and people of the Islamic Republic.