International
The United States expresses condolences for the “unfortunate” accident that ended Raisí’s life
On Monday, the United States expressed its “official condolences” for the “very unfortunate” accident that killed former president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisí, and said it had no information about the causes of the accident.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed his “official condolences” for the death of Raisí and the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hosein Amir Abdolahian, in a helicopter crash that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin considered “very unfortunate” in another statement.
“While Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Miller said in a statement.
In a subsequent press conference, the same spokesman defined Raisí as one of those responsible for “the brutal repression of the Iranian people for almost four decades,” including the executions of thousands of political dissidents in 1988.
“We regret any loss of life. We don’t want to see anyone die in a helicopter accident, but that doesn’t change their history,” Miller said.
The spokesman also revealed that Iran asked the United States for assistance in the search and recovery of the damaged helicopter, but did not give more details about it.
Meanwhile, at a press conference, Austin said that the United States “had nothing to do” with that accident and, when asked if Israel could be involved, he said that it will be the investigation being carried out by the Iranian authorities that sheds light on what happened.
“Regarding the death of the Iranian president in the very unfortunate helicopter accident, we continue to monitor the situation, but at this time we do not have details about the origin of the accident,” he emphasized.
Faced with the question of whether the United States would modify the deployment of its troops in the region in the face of the uncertainty generated by the death of Raisí, the head of the Pentagon ruled out changes in this regard and stated that, for the moment, they do not expect there to be an impact on the security of the region.
Raisí lost his life on Sunday in a helicopter accident, after the aircraft made a forced landing in the Varzaghan area, in northwestern Iran.
The Foreign Minister, the governor of East Azerbaijan, Malek Rahmati, the leader of the Friday prayers of the city of Tabriz, Mohammad-Ali Ale-Hashem, also traveled on the aircraft, in addition to two pilots of the aircraft, a flight attendant, the presidential head of security and a guard.
Everyone died in the accident.
After the announcement of Raisí’s death, the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, approved on Monday that the first vice president, Mohamad Mojber, assume as interim president of the country and declared five days of national mourning for the death of Raisí and his companions.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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