Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 20, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 20, 2024
US defends paying respects to Iran despite ‘worst human rights abuses’ during Raisi’s tenure as president
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi (C) at the site of Qiz Qalasi, the third dam jointly built by Iran and Azerbaijan on the Aras River, ahead of its inauguration ceremony on May 19, 2024. (Iranian Presidency/AFP)
Explaining the decision to offer official condolences from the US over the deaths of Iran’s leaders in a helicopter crash, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says the US does not want to see anyone die under such circumstances, even though Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was a “brutal participant in the repression of the Iranian people for nearly four decades.”
“Some of the worst human rights abuses occurred during his tenure as president,” Miller adds during a press briefing.
