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On behalf of the South African Communist Party, the General Secretary Solly Mapaila extends sincere condolences to the people and supreme leader of Iran in the wake of the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others aboard the Bell 212 helicopter. 

“It is profoundly saddening to hear of their loss in such a devastating accident amidst adverse weather conditions. Our hearts go out to their families, loved ones and the entire nation of Iran as they navigate through this difficult time. May they find strength, comfort and solidarity in the midst of their grief”, said Mapaila on Monday, 20 May 2024. 

According to Iranian state officials and media reports on Monday, the helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain in East Azerbaijan Province amidst foggy weather on Sunday, 19 May 2024. The charred wreckage of the Bell 212 helicopter was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions. Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian and seven others were reportedly traveling in a convoy of three helicopters when the one carrying them lost communication with the other two, approximately 30 minutes after take-off.

Iran is the epicentre of the Middle East’s axis of resistance to the imperialist-collective west’s machinations of subjugation. It has developed a sovereign economy with robust self-reliant features, including a strong emphasis on technological sovereignty. 

Iran is perhaps the foremost independent state in the Middle East and categorically supports the freedom struggles of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Its president and foreign minister played an important role in their country’s active solidarity with the people of Palestine and the other countries. 

In the world’s balance of forces, which has changed in recent decades, Iran, a major crude oil producer, is among the chief targets of the United States-led imperialist-collective west and their ally, the apartheid Israeli settler state.

The United States and its allies have mainly, but by no means only, targeted Iran with their illegal regime of unilateral and extraterritorial sanctions. On 1 April 2024, the apartheid Israeli settler state launched an air strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.

Iran exercised its fundamental right of self-defence by strategically retaliating. This exposed the Israeli regime’s defence system’s weaknesses. Iran’s strategic retaliation highlighted some of the military capabilities it has built over the years, contributing to key forces that have altered and are still altering the world balance of power.

The SACP is vehemently opposed to all forms of imperialist war, aggression and the subjugation of others while recognising their inherent right to self-defence. We stand for a peaceful international order in which the world reflects an association where the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.

Issued by the South African Communist Party,