United Nations slammed for holding meeting to honor 'Butcher of Tehran': 'Outright offensive'

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The U.S. boycotted the United Nations tribute to recently deceased Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, calling into question the logic of showing respect for a man who has committed "numerous, horrific human rights abuses."

"The United States will not attend today’s United Nations tribute event for President Raisi in any capacity," U.S. Mission to the U.N. spokesperson Nate Evans said in a statement released Thursday.

"The U.N. should be standing with the people of Iran," Evans said. "Raisi was involved in numerous, horrific human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killings of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Some of the worst human rights abuses on record took place during his tenure."

The United Nations on Thursday commemorated Raisi following his death along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials aboard a helicopter that crashed in a mountainous region in the country’s northwest.

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Critics blasted the organization for holding a minute of silence for a man known as the "Butcher of Tehran," and they didn’t hold back when the organization held its customary tribute for a fallen head of state.

The U.N. General Assembly traditionally meets to pay respects to sitting heads of state at the time of their death, according to