Difficult to Believe: Peskov

The press secretary of the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov, has described the statement by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as awkward and barbaric. Earlier, Blinken stated that the people of Iran and the world at large have gained from the death of President Raisi due to the aviation accident.

“You know, to be honest, I haven't seen the original of that statement yet. It's hard to believe that a diplomat, especially a high-ranking representative of a country like the United States, could make such an awkward statement diplomatically speaking. Essentially, this is a barbaric declaration against an entire people,” Peskov said, commenting on the Kremlin's reaction to Blinken's remarks.

Previously, during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Blinken stated that the U.S., despite its official condolences, does not grieve the death of the Iranian president. According to him, it is likely better for the Iranian people after the president's death.

It is noteworthy that the helicopter transporting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian crashed on May 19 in the northwestern part of the country, in the Verzeghani district. The high-ranking officials were returning from a ceremony for the opening of hydro-constructions on the Araks River, attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Rescue teams had traveled to the scene of the emergency and conducted searches throughout the night, hampered by darkness and heavy rains.

On the morning of May 20, it became known that the burnt wreckage of the helicopter had been found, and all individuals on board had perished.