Arab and foreign countries voice solidarity with Iran over president Raisi’s helicopter incident

Many Arab and foreign countries on Sunday expressed their solidarity with Iran and stressed that they are following up with great concern on the incident of the hard landing of the helicopter that carried President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow is ready to provide every necessary assistance in efforts to search for the Iranian President’s helicopter.

“We hope that all are alive and their health is not at risk,” Zakharova added.

Saudi Arabia also expressed concern over the media reports regarding the accident that happened to a helicopter carrying the Iranian president and his accompanying delegation.

“At a time when we supplicate God Almighty to safeguard the president and those accompanying him with his protection and care, we reaffirm that Saudi Arabia stands by the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran in these difficult circumstances,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

It announced Riyadh’s readiness to provide “any assistance that the Iranian agencies need”.

For his part, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said “Egypt is following with great concern the news circulating about the plane of the Iranian President, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and the accompanying delegation being involved in a horrific accident.

Abu Zeid affirmed Egypt’s solidarity with the government and people of Iran in this delicate circumstance, wishing safety for the Iranian president and entourage.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufyan Al-Qudah affirmed Jordan’s readiness to provide all necessary forms of support, expressing his country’s government’s sympathy for Iran and its wishes of safety for the president and his entourages.

The UAE also announced that it is following with great concern what is being circulated in the media regarding the unfortunate accident that occurred with the helicopter that was carrying President Raisi and a number of Iranian officials.

The UAE Ambassador to Iran, Saif Mohammed Al Za’abi expressed his wishes that the search and rescue operations would be crowned with success and that God protect the Iranian President and those with him, noting the UAE’s support and solidarity with the neighboring Iranian people in these critical circumstances.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev also expressed deep concern over the reports about the incident that happened to his Iranian counterpart.

He voiced Baku’s readiness to provide all forms of support in the rescue and research operation.

In a post on its X, Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is shocked by the news coming from Iran.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with President Raeisi, Minister Amir-Abdollahian and all others reported to be at the site,” it added.

It emphasized that as rescue operations continue, Armenia, as a close and friendly neighbor of Iran, is ready to provide all necessary support.

In a post on X, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said he was “deeply concerned” about the news of the crash and expressed his wishes for the Iranian president and foreign minister.

“My heartfelt prayers and good wishes for the well-being & safety of President Raeisi so that he may continue to serve the Iranian nation,” he posted.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani also offered neighboring Iran help in search and rescue efforts.

Sudani “instructed the interior ministry, the Iraqi Red Crescent and other relevant authorities to offer the Islamic Republic of Iran the available resources to aid in the search for the Iranian president’s aircraft,” government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid also said on his X account that he has held a phone conversation with Iran’s Ambassador to Baghdad Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq to be informed about the latest developments surrounding the incident.

He expressed his country’s support and readiness to provide all possible assistance in the search operations.

Hamda Mustafa