Blinken suggested that the Iranian people were better off because of Raisi’s death.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Iranian people and the world have benefited from the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash.

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“Given the horrendous acts that he was involved in as a judge and president and… could not be more involved, yes. The Iranian people are probably better off,” he responded to Senator Ted Cruz’s question about whether “the world has become better.” It’s better now that Raisi is dead.”

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Blinken said the US is not mourning Raisi’s death and would not hold a minute’s silence at the UN in memory of him. The State Department the day before published condolences in connection with the death of the Iranian president.

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A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and other officials crashed on May 19 in the northwest of the country in the Verzegan region. On the morning of May 20, Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri confirmed reports that the president and his delegation had died in a helicopter crash. The delegation was returning after a visit to Azerbaijan, where Raisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev took part in the opening ceremony of the Giz Galasy hydroelectric complex and the commissioning of the Khudaferin hydroelectric complex on the border Araks River.