The condolences offered by European Council President Charles Michel to Iran on behalf of the European Union after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi were not well received by a large part of the House of Representatives. Many parties believe that Michel ignores the suffering of the victims of the Iranian regime and their relatives.
“Not in my name,” replied Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders to the diplomats and the arms supply to Russia. “You’ve completely missed the point,” he thinks.
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After the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, not much will change in Iran, former Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal told BNR. He points out that the real leader, with all the influence in the country, is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He added: “This supreme leader simply has all the power, along with the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”
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D66 MP Jean Paternot considers the speed with which Michel offered his condolences on behalf of the European Union “totally out of place, given the many victims committed by my president and his regime.” SP leader Jimmy Dijk comments on Michel’s message on X: “Unheard of, inappropriate, inappropriate.”
Additional statement
BBB MP Gijs Tuenman believes the Netherlands should issue an “additional statement” “highlighting the massacres committed by President Raissa”. National Security Council member Kaspar Feldkamp adds that Michel’s own condolences are not directed to Raisi’s relatives, but rather to “the families of those who were killed, tortured and persecuted.”
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“Diplomacy means dialogue,” answers a spokesman for Michel. “And also with regimes with which we have profound differences of opinion.” Conveying condolences in the event of death is part of this, according to the spokesman. He also described it as “essential” to continue discussions with Iran to prevent further escalation of the conflict in the region.