In the message, Kim said the death of Raisi was a “great loss” to Iran and he hoped the bereaved families would recover as soon as possible.
He was “an outstanding statesman and a close friend” who made a “great contribution to the cause of the Iranian people for safeguarding the sovereignty, development and interests of their country and the gains of the Islamic revolution”, Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.
The helicopter, which was part of a convoy, was carrying President Raisi and other senior leaders, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. Contact with the aircraft was lost almost 30 minutes after it took off, reportedly after it experienced bad weather while crossing a mountainous region in the country’s east Azerbaijan province.
