Raisi was "a very reliable partner" - Putin sends condolences to Iran over president's death

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was "a very reliable partner."

"He was a man of his word and it was a pleasure to work with him," Putin said at a meeting with State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, who will reportedly represent Russia at Raisi's funeral in Tehran.

Putin asked Volodin to convey to Iran's leadership that he "will do everything to ensure that Russian-Iranian relations continue in this vein."

He also said that Russia is ready to assist Iran in its investigation of Raisi and other officials' deaths in a helicopter crash on Monday.

**"For our part, we will do everything to ensure that Russian-Iranian relations continue in this vein. Please convey these words to the Iranian leadership. And if our colleagues require so, we are ready to do everything to provide them what they need for the investigation"-**Vladimir Putin, Russian President

No cause has yet been offered by Iran's government for the crash, which took place in a foggy mountain range in a decades-old helicopter.

Russia and Iran are strong allies as Raisi supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its military campaign in Ukraine.

Mourners in black began gathering Tuesday for days of funerals and processions, a government-led series of ceremonies aimed at both honoring the dead and projecting strength in an unsettled Middle East.

Raisi's sudden death on Sunday along with the country's foreign minister and other officials in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran came as Iran grappled with internal dissent and international tensions.