United Nations, May 21 (IANS) Members of the UN Security Council have observed a minute of silence to mourn the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other passengers in the helicopter crash late last week.

At the beginning of a Security Council meeting on Monday morning, Mozambique's UN ambassador Pedro Comissario Afonso, who chaired the meeting, asked all those present in the Security Council chamber to stand and observe a minute of silence for the tragic loss of life and to present condolences and sympathy to their families and the people of Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said the minute of silence was requested by Russia, China, and Algeria.