WANA (May 21) – Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran, said: “Some people say things that make one ashamed to even hear them. Trump went to Saudi Arabia and said that these people (Iranian officials) eat away, take away, and steal. The great thieves on the planet—those who are plundering the whole world—accuse others of theft and terrorism.”

 

The President went on to say: “If someone were to raise their voice and say, ‘We will not allow you to plunder our country,’ they accuse them of theft, looting, and terrorism—while they themselves are the real looters and terrorists. They should come and witness the lifestyle of our martyrs, and then be held accountable for their own acts of plunder, which are plain for the whole world to see.”

Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf attends a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash, in Tehran, Iran, May 21, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Masoud Pezeshkian made these remarks on the morning of Wednesday, May 21, 2025, during a ceremony held in the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Iranian Parliament) to commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions.

 

Referring to his recent meeting with the family of late Raisi and his entourage on the eve of their death anniversary, the President added: “The simple and ordinary lives of these honorable martyrs and national officials are a firm and decisive response to the hollow claims made by the enemies of the Islamic Republic.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash, in Tehran, Iran, May 21, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

The Helicopter Accident

Ayatollah Raisi and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met on May 19, 2024, at the zero-point border near the construction site of the joint “Qiz Qalasi” dam on the Aras River. Later that day, President Raisi boarded a helicopter en route to Tabriz.

 

Two other helicopters accompanied his aircraft, but around 1:00 p.m., the president’s helicopter lost contact near Varzaqan and did not respond to radio messages.

 

After hours of search efforts by rescue teams, the crash site was discovered, and the tragic news of the death of President Raisi and his companions was officially confirmed.