US says Ebrahim Raisi had 'lot of blood on his hands', denies role in crash that killed Iran president

The White House said on Monday (May 20) that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who lost his life in a helicopter crash, had a "lot of blood on his hands", with the US defence secretary denying any role in the crash.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, "This was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands." He said that Raisi was responsible for "atrocious" rights abuses in Iran and had supported regional proxies including Hamas.

Kirby said, however, that "as in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate."

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The comments came after Washington offered condolences on Raisi's death. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller earlier said the US "expresses its official condolences".

In a veiled reference to the hardline Islamist regime, he also reaffirmed "support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms".

Without providing further details, the US State Department also said that Iran asked the US for assistance after the helicopter crash.

"I'm not going to get into the details, but we were asked by the Iranian government for assistance," Miller told reporters. He also said that the US was unable to do so "largely for logistical reasons".

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'No US role' in copter crash

The US Defense Secretary pre-emptively denied any American role in Raisi's helicopter crash.

"The United States had no part to play in that crash, and so that's a fact, plain and simple," Lloyd Austin told reporters in a press briefing.

"Regarding the death of Iran's president, in the very unfortunate helicopter crash. We continue to monitor the situation, but we don't have any insights into the cause of the of the accident at this point," he said.

"I know the Iranians are investigating or will investigate. And so we'll see what the what the outcome is once their investigation is complete. In terms of our force posture, I don't have any announcements to make. And again, this is something that we'll continue to watch. And I don't necessarily see any broader regional security impacts at this point in time," he added.

The helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border while returning after inaugurating a dam at the common border with the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The helicopter was also carrying foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew, all are dead.

(With inputs from agencies)