The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has extended heartfelt condolences to the people and Government of Iran following the death of President Seyyed Raisi in a helicopter.

The crash, which occurred in a mountainous region of northwestern Iran on Sunday, also claimed the lives of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six other passengers.

The UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, in a statement on Monday, said the secretary-general expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Similarly, the members of the Security Council joined the secretary-general in expressing condolences to the government and people of Iran.

Led by Permanent Representative of Mozambique and Council President for May, Pedro Comissário Afonso, the ambassadors observed a moment of silence at the start of the body’s 9629th meeting.

According to media reports, President Raisi’s funeral is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, and cultural events in the country have been cancelled during what is now an official period of mourning.

Also, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, led a minute of silence in honour of the dead at a conference on nuclear security taking place in Vienna on Monday.

IAEA inspectors have been working with authorities for years at Iran’s nuclear sites to limit capacity to purely civilian use.

(NAN)