The United Nations mourned the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi with its flag being lowered to half-mast at the UN headquarters on Tuesday and members of the UN Security Council observing a minute of silence on Monday.
The United Nations flag was lowered to half-mast at the UN headquarters in New York City to mourn for the death of Raisi.
Members of the UN Security Council on Monday observed a minute of silence to mourn the deaths of Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other passengers in Sunday's helicopter crash.
At the beginning of a Security Council meeting on Monday morning, Mozambique's UN ambassador Pedro Comissario Afonso, who chaired the meeting, asked all those present in the Security Council chamber to stand and observe a minute of silence for the tragic losses of lives and to present condolences and sympathy to their families and to the people of Iran.
He said the minute of silence was requested by Russia, China, and Algeria.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mariano Grossi also led a minute of silence for the victims of the crash at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria on Monday, prior to an international conference on the future of nuclear security.
Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after his helicopter crashed in Iran's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday.
Preparations are underway for mourning ceremonies across Iran, with crowds already gathering in the capital city Tehran on Monday to mourn those who died in the crash.
UN mourns death of Iranian president
A Chinese envoy stressed the need for global cooperation to promote international nuclear arms control efforts amid unprecedented and formidable challenges faced by the international nuclear disarmament process, while addressing a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting on nuclear weapons on Monday.
During the thematic debate on nuclear weapons at the 79th session of the UNGA, Shen Jian, Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, stated that the international nuclear disarmament process is encountering unparalleled challenges stemming from the lack of strategic mutual trust among major powers, escalating geopolitical tensions, and prolonged regional conflicts.
Therefore, there is a need for all countries to jointly work towards reducing nuclear risks, advancing nuclear disarmament, and preventing nuclear proliferation, Shen noted.
According to the Chinese envoy, it is necessary to deescalate regional tensions and end hostilities promptly, reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national security policies, cease the provocative deployment of strategic forces to the forefront, adhere to a practical and feasible path of nuclear disarmament, maintain an objective and rational stance on nuclear transparency issues, and promote international efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.
"Both the symptoms and root causes of the prominent risks and challenges in the nuclear field should be addressed. Being obsessed with the Cold War mentality, hyping up major power competition, and inciting bloc confrontation will only lead the international nuclear arms control process into a dead end. The international community should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, adhere to true multilateralism, respect each other's legitimate security concerns, and work together to promote the international nuclear arms control process," Shen said.
As the current coordinator of the cooperation mechanism of the five nuclear-weapon states, China hosted an expert-level meeting in New York on October 7 to start substantive work during its tenure. China will also continue its efforts to enhance dialogue and cooperation among the five nuclear-weapon states, Shen said.
China calls for global efforts to promote int'l nuclear arms control process
