US to boycott UN tribute for late Iran president Raisi
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It is a UN tradition to pay tribute to any world leader who was a sitting head of state at the time of their death.
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A photograph of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a solidarity march in Kashmir, May 24, 2024. (AP)
An anonymous US official has revealed that the US intends to boycott the UN tribute due on Thursday for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
"We won't attend this event in any capacity," the official told Reuters regarding the previously unreported boycott.
It is a UN tradition to pay tribute to any world leader who was a sitting head of state at the time of their death.
The official noted, "The United Nations should be standing with the people of Iran, not memorializing their decades-long oppressor."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously said in a congressional testimony, "Bearing in mind the horrific acts in which he was involved as a judge and president, and the fact that he cannot be involved in them in the slightest, yes, the Iranian people are probably better off," he said in response to a question, before adding, "We are definitely not grieving over his death."
Read next: Ebrahim Raisi, a pillar against Western hegemony
No foul play
Raisi, alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and accompanying officials passed away on May 19 in a tragic helicopter crash in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province
A day after his passing on May 20, the UN Security Council stood for a moment of silence to remember the victims of the helicopter crash.
The Communications Center of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff released on Wednesday its second report concerning the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash that resulted in the death of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions.
The report emphatically denies any sabotage or explosion affecting the helicopter during its flight.
The report confirms that there was "no malfunction" in the communication systems or interference with the helicopter's frequencies at the time of the incident.
Additionally, it stated that there were no signs of electronic warfare targeting the aircraft. The number of passengers onboard was also found to be "consistent with the weight standards" typically observed for such flights.
The preliminary report showed that President Raisi's helicopter followed its pre-planned itinerary and did not divert from it, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stressing that the helicopter's pilot was in contact with the crewmembers of the two other helicopters that were part of the presidential convoy.
"There were no marks indicating that the helicopter was shot down or came under any attack," the report added.
"The President's helicopter caught fire upon crashing into the hills," the statement explained.
