Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, died in an unexpected helicopter crash.
The sudden death of President Raisi has heightened tensions in the Middle East, which has become thin ice due to the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
According to IRNA, the Iranian government officially announced the death of President Raisi after an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by Senior Vice President Mohammad Mokhber on the 20th (local time).
The accident occurred when President Raisi was on his way to a refinery in Tabriz after attending the completion ceremony of the Giz Galasi Dam in the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev the day before.
The helicopter he was on crashed in the Dizmar mountainous region near the Azerbaijan border. Of the total three helicopters that took off together, the other two arrived safely at their destination.
While 65 Iranian rescue teams struggled to access the site due to bad weather and rugged terrain, the search intensified after a Bayraktar Akıncı drone sent by neighboring Turkiye discovered the heat source of the wreckage in a forest about 18.64 miles from the Azerbaijan border.
All nine people on board, including Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahia, Imam of Friday Prayer in Tabriz Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the governor-general of East Azerbaijan province Malik Rahmati, the pilot, and the security guards, were killed.
Their bodies were recovered on the morning of the 20th.
President Raisi, a hardline conservative clergyman and former prosecutor, took office as the 8th President of Iran in August 2021.
He studied theology under Khamenei and participated in protests against the Pahlavi monarchy in 1970.
He began his career as a prosecutor in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution, and led the purge of anti-regime figures after the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988.
In 2022, the second year of Raisi’s term, the Iranian authorities violently suppressed the so-called Hijab Protests that spread nationwide. For the first time, Iran attacked Israeli territory in retaliation for an attack on its consulate in Syria during the Gaza War.
In a statement after an emergency meeting, the Iranian cabinet said, “The dedication to the country with the tireless spirit of Ayatollah Raisi will continue,” and “The government will operate without any disruption.”
Khamenei announced in a statement that the next five days will be a period of mourning and that Senior Vice President Mokhber will act as the head of the administration until a new president is elected according to the constitution.
Mokhber, the most senior of Iran’s 12 vice presidents, is seen as a close aide to Supreme Leader Khamenei.
He is known to have once led Setad, an Iranian investment fund and the power base of Khamenei, and was placed on the European Union (EU) sanctions list in 2010 for nuclear or ballistic missile activities but was unlisted two years later.
According to the constitution, the next president will be elected by direct vote through a by-election within 50 days of the president’s death.
Semi-official ISNA news agency predicted that the election will be held in July.
The Iranian Guardian Council announced, “The Senior Vice President will act as the president’s duties and powers. The newly elected president will serve a four-year term.”
The sudden death of President Raisi, who represents the hardliners, could lead to turbulence in Iranian politics with a showdown between conservatives and reformists until the election. There is growing dissatisfaction with the anti-Western conservative government due to the bloody suppression of the Hijab protests and economic difficulties in Iran.
In addition, as he was a strong candidate for the next Supreme Leader, a power struggle is expected among candidates to fill his vacancy at the top of power.
The international community also mourned the death of President Raisi and watched for repercussions.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said, “The EU expresses sincere condolences for the deaths of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other entourages.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping each sent condolences to Iran. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We will stand by our neighbor, Iran, in this difficult and sad time.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned, “We will always remember President Raisi’s dedication to strengthening relations between India and Iran.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also expressed their condolences directly.
The Axis of Resistance armed forces centered on Iran also expressed condolences.
Palestinian Hamas, currently at war with Israel, stated, “We express our respect for his support for resistance against Israel over the years.” Yemen’s pro-Iranian rebels, the Houthis, consoled, “May Allah grant them the patience and comfort to endure this situation.”
Lebanon’s Hezbollah expressed condolences through a statement, and the Lebanese government announced a mourning period for the next three days.
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