Moscow Consoles Ally Iran After President, Foreign Minister Killed in Helicopter Crash

Russia’s pending ‘strategic partnership’ with Iran won’t be affected by deaths, deputy foreign minister asserts.

Rescue team members work at the crash site of a crashed helicopter, an incident that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan, in northwestern Iran, on May 20, 2024. Azin Haghighi/AFP via Getty Images

Russia’s president and foreign minister have sent messages of condolence to Tehran after their Iranian counterparts were both killed in a helicopter crash.

On the evening of May 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died when their helicopter crashed in Iran’s Eastern Azerbaijan province.