CAIRO, May 20 (Xinhua) — Leaders across Middle Eastern countries on Monday offered their condolences to Iran over the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and members of the accompanying team in a helicopter crash a day earlier.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said on his X account that “I offer my condolences to the Iranian people on the death of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials following the tragic plane accident.”

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi expressed condolences, emphasizing the council’s solidarity with the Iranian government and people in the hard times, reported the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud sent condolences to Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber on the deaths of Raisi and some members of his accompanying delegation, said a statement carried by SPA.

Türkiye “stands by Iran in these painful days” and “shares grief of Iranian people,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Mokhber in a phone call on Monday, Erdogan’s office said in a statement.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi extended his sincere condolences to the people of Iran, expressing the solidarity of Egypt with the leadership and people of Iran during this tragic time, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed in a message “sincere condolences and deep sympathy to Iran, its leadership and people over the painful accident,” saying his country “stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in a message, highlighted Syria’s solidarity with Iran and the families of the deceased, expressing his commitment to continuing the work initiated by Raisi to benefit both nations.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his “deep sorrow and solidarity” with the Iranian people during “this difficult time,” lamenting “the loss of my brother and partner Ebrahim Raisi, with whom I was united in serving the bonds of brotherhood, cooperation, and solidarity between our two countries and peoples, and in supporting just causes.”

Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Monday eulogized Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and those who died in a helicopter crash, the sovereign council said in a statement.

In addition, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Tunisia’s Presidency, the Libyan Foreign Ministry as well as Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants also extended condolences to the Iranian government and people.

The crash occurred on Sunday in Iran’s Varzaqan County as Raisi, along with his accompanying team on board three helicopters, was on his way from Khoda Afarin County, where he attended the inauguration ceremony of a storage dam with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev earlier in the day, to the provincial capital Tabriz for the inauguration of a petrochemical complex.

The other members onboard Raisi’s helicopter, including East Azerbaijan’s Governor Malek Rahmati, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s Representative to East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, Raisi’s bodyguard, as well as the flight crew, also lost their lives.

Source(s): Xinhua

Israel and Hamas, engaged in heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip, both angrily rejected on Monday moves to arrest their leaders for “war crimes.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC)’s prosecutor Karim Khan said he had applied for arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas leaders over the conflict.

Israel slammed as a “historical disgrace” the demand targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, while the Palestinian militant group Hamas said it “strongly condemns” the move.

The U.S., Israel’s top ally, also rejected the ICC bid, with President Joe Biden denouncing it as “outrageous” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning the move “could jeopardize” efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza.

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland called for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Hamas at the UN Security Council on Monday.

“If talks do not resume, I fear for the worst for the beleaguered and terrified civilians in Rafah, for the hostages held in unimaginable conditions for more than 225 days, and for an overstretched humanitarian operation that remains on the brink inside the (Gaza) Strip,” Wennesland said.

Also on Monday, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis urged enhanced joint efforts to halt the hostilities in Gaza and called on the international community to promote the two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The Israel-Hamas conflict continues to grind on unabated, with Israeli forces battling Hamas in Gaza’s far-southern city of Rafah, as well as in other flashpoints in central and northern areas.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 35,562 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry.

The UN said more than 812,000 Palestinians had fled Rafah, near the Egyptian border. Meanwhile, the European Union warned that 31 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are no longer functioning while the rest are on the verge of collapse with more than 9,000 severely injured people at risk of dying.

The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has been eased only by sporadic aid shipments by land, air and sea, but truck arrivals have slowed to a trickle amid the Rafah operation.

The UN did not receive any aid from the pier on Sunday or Monday. “We need to make sure that the necessary security and logistical arrangements are in place before we proceed,” Reuters cited a UN official, who asked not to be named, as saying.

Another senior UN aid official, Edem Wosornu, told the UN Security Council that the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt had stopped the delivery of at least 82,000 tonnes of supplies, while access at Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing was limited due to “hostilities, challenging logistical conditions, and complex coordination procedures.”

Source(s): CGTN

Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday, announced his decision to host a national-scale expo aimed at improving Maldives productivity and business portfolios.

President Muizzu announced the decision in reference to the paper submitted by Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed at Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

Following the cabinet meeting, President Muizzu decided to initiate the “Dhiveheenge Ufehdhuntherikamuge Maurazu” (Maldivian Productivity Expo), announced President’s Office in its statement and added it is scheduled for May 2025.

“To ensure a competitive environment, the expo will facilitate participation of businesses from various sectors which would include Creative Economic District, Digital and Innovative District, Entertainment District, and Market Place District,” the statement read.

Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has assigned management of the expo to Business Center Corporation (BCC).

President Muizzu has also made key decisions with the ministers’ council on ensuring the expo’s sustainability as an annual event.

Source(s): sun.mv