The delegation, including President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, visited Tehran to pay their respects to Raisi and several top Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who were killed on Sunday after their helicopter crashed in a rugged, mountainous region in East Azerbaijan province.
The crash occurred in a mountainous area with dense fog and bad weather conditions when the delegation was returning from the inauguration ceremony of a joint dam project by Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan. The death of the officials was confirmed after rescue teams found the crashed chopper early Monday.
Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed were also among the Kurdish delegation which flew from Erbil.
“The delegation extended their condolences to the leadership, government, and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the family and friends of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions,” said a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
Earlier this month, President Barzani made a visit to Tehran to discuss Erbil-Tehran ties, which were harmed in January after Iran launched deadly missile strikes on the Kurdish capital under the pretext of targeting Mossad bases - a claim vehemently denied by Kurdish officials.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Barzani visited the Iranian consulate in Erbil to offer his condolences to the death of Raisi and his delegation.
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