Indian Flag at Half-Mast as Nation Observes Mourning over Demise of Iran President Ebrahim Raisi

India is observing a one-day state mourning today as a mark of respect for the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash

The national flag will flow at half-mast on all the buildings, and there will be no official entertainment throughout the mourning period

The Iranian President and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, along with several other officials and crew members died after the helicopter crashed due to “technical failures”

Remembering Iranian President, EAM S. Jaishankar on Monday said that due to the interest and efforts of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein, India was “able to finalize a long-term agreement” concerning the vital Chabahar port BYTE: video 4: start to 0.32 S. Jaishankar, EAM

India and Iran cooperated for a long-term agreement over the Chabahar port that would assist in exporting Indian goods to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia

Significantly, India’s ties with Iran grew massively during Raisi’s tenure. Since Raisi came to power in 2021, trade and connectivity have also defined New Delhi’s ties with Tehran

In 2022-23, India’s bilateral trade with Iran reached $2.33 billion, an uptick of 21.77% in imports and exports

Meanwhile, Israel on Monday asserted that it had “no role” in the helicopter crash which resulted in Iran’s President and Foreign Minister’s death. “It wasn’t us,” news agency Reuters quoted the Israeli official as saying

The US, on the other hand, said that Ebrahim Raisi had a “lot of blood on his hands”, with the US Defense Secretary denying any role in the crash

At a daily press conference, White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said Raisi was responsible for “atrocious” rights abuses in Iran and had supported regional proxies including Hamas

However, Kirby added that the US certainly regretted the loss of life in general and offered official condolences

Meanwhile, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that Iran asked the US for assistance after the helicopter crash, however, said that the US was unable to do so “largely for logistical reasons”