In a statement released by his spokesman, the high representative sent condolences to the families of the victims of the accident as well as to the government and people of Iran.

For their part, the members of the Security Council paid a minute of silence in memory of the Iranian president, his foreign minister and other officials who were victims of the crash.

The authorities of Iran confirmed on Monday the death of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian, as well as the governor of East Azerbaijan, Malek Rahmati, and the imam of Friday prayers in Tabriz (provincial capital), Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, after an intense search for the helicopter in which they were traveling.

The aircraft had to make an emergency landing, which prompted an intensive search by the Red Crescent relief forces and the country’s military and police auxiliaries, with the support of other nations, amid complex weather conditions that made visibility difficult.

ef/jav/ro/ebr