The White House asserted on Monday that the late Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, bore significant responsibility for serious human rights abuses and support of regional proxies.
Addressing reporters, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby remarked, “This was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands.” Kirby further elaborated that Raisi had been involved in “atrocious” rights abuses in Iran and had backed regional proxies such as Hamas.
Despite these remarks, Kirby noted, “as in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate.”
Iran declared a five-day mourning period following Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash, which occurred in a mountainous and forested area of the country amid poor weather conditions.
Raisi, aged 63, represented conservative and hardline factions in Iranian politics during his nearly three-year presidency and was anticipated to seek re-election next year.