Quoting Reuters, the article stated: “Ebrahim Raisi, who died aged 63, rose through Iran's theocracy from hardline prosecutor to uncompromising president, overseeing a crackdown on protests at home and pushing hard in nuclear talks with world powers as he burnished his credentials to position himself to become the next supreme leader.”

The republication of this article by an Indonesian media outlet such as the Post, without thorough investigation, on the very day of the martyrdom of the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran and his delegation, not only undermines the longstanding friendly relations between the two great Islamic nations of Iran and Indonesia, but also contradicts Indonesian and Islamic cultural values.

This publication coincided with a period when numerous countries, both East and West, large and small, were expressing their condolences, sympathy and solidarity with the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the wake of this tragic incident.

The Republic of Indonesia was no exception. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry expressed concern for the helicopter’s passengers in the initial hours following the accident through a statement on the social network X. Following the official announcement of the martyrdom of the president, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, and subsequently President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, conveyed their profound condolences and solidarity with the government and people of Iran via posts on their official social media accounts.

The presence of Minister Retno, along with other Indonesian political figures, at the memorial signing of the condolences book, and the participation of Indonesian citizens from various walks of life in the ceremonies honoring these martyrs, as well as the floral tributes from various ministries, organizations, institutions and parties in Indonesia, further exemplify the deep, longstanding and unbreakable friendship between the governments and peoples of Iran and Indonesia.

The hateful remarks by Reuters against the late president Raisi merely echo the claims and statements of United States and other Western officials, who have been sworn enemies of this nation since the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979. The publication of such hostile remarks by Western media only highlights the fact that these countries always view a powerful Islamic Iran as a threat to their inhumane interests globally and spare no effort to undermine this Islamic country until the collapse of its religious democracy.

As Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly stated, “The various pressures from the West on Iran have no end and will not cease until they overthrow the Islamic Republic or its religious democracy.” Thus, labeling Iran's “religious democracy” as a “theocracy” by Reuters reflects this reality, indicating that the West's problems with Iran are rooted in the nature and ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran and nothing else.

It is hoped that a reputable and esteemed newspaper like the Post would consider itself responsible for its content's accuracy and, instead of becoming a mouthpiece for other media outlets, ensure the correctness of the news and articles before publication.

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The writer is head of Political Section, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Jakarta.