Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's death could exacerbate the already tense situation in the Middle East, but all sides appear to be demonstrating restraint so far, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy told Sputnik.
"The situation is indeed so tense right now that anything could have an impact on it. It depends on how it will be exploited and what will be the consequences of that," Polyanskiy said in an interview. "Everyone is trying to be quite restrained in this regard."
When asked about the helicopter crash that killed the Iranian leader and his delegation, Polyanskiy suggested waiting for a proper and complete investigation by Iran.
A helicopter carrying President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other officials crashed on May 19 in the country's northwest, killing everyone on board.
The delegation was returning from a visit to Azerbaijan, where Raisi and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev participated in the opening ceremony for the Giz Galasi hydroelectric complex and the commissioning of the Khoda Afarin hydroelectric complex on the joint border.
Iranian authorities said the accident took place in a remote mountainous region due to poor weather conditions and thick fog.