The Biden administration has made a strategic error by memorializing Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in Iran on Sunday.

The State Department issued a statement on Monday asserting, “The United States expresses its official condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran. As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”