Iran's hardline president Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash

 

Until now we have been hearing praise and messages of sympathy from countries that widely appreciate good relations with Iran.

There has not been much response from the West, but we have heard from the European Association.

Charles Michel, leader of the European Board, says the EU extends "sincere condolences" over their deaths.

As an update, the EU has imposed sanctions against Iran and last week agreed to increase them because Iran proceeded with military aid from Russia.

The EU has joined the Iranian search for President Raisi's helicopter. On Sunday, the coalition said it had implemented its "rapid reaction planning administration."

Surprisingly, we have yet to hear anything from the United States or other Western pioneers since the confirmation of their disappearance, however, a representative of the state department said on Sunday that they were monitoring the situation.

BBC Check has confirmed the area of ​​the helicopter crash site at a point in the mountains 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) southwest of the city of Uzi, in northwest Iran.

An image of the downed helicopter, shared by the Iranian media Khabar Fouri on its Wire channel, has been geolocated by researcher Nathan Ruser of the Australian Key Arrangement Organization and verified by BBC Confirm.

A similar image has also been shared by the Tasnim news organization, which is firmly a subsidiary of Iran's Progressive Watchmen.

It is possible to match the specific area of ​​the slope by differentiating the example of the trees and geology in the photograph with the satellite symbolism of Google Earth (as shown in the image above).

The helicopter should be visible through the trees on an east slope at an altitude of about 2,200 m (7,218 ft).

As subtleties emerge, Iranian state media is revealing that the helicopter that transported the president and the unknown pastor was a Ringer 212.

The age of the helicopter is unclear, but this model was created for the Canadian military during the 1960s.

(As an update, many years of clearances in the United States and around the world began after the Iranian riots in 1979.)

The helicopters were manufactured by the American organization Chime Helicopter and used widely by government administrators, including the American police and the Thai public police.

Iran's naval force and aviation corps total 10, as indicated by FlightGlobal's 2024 Global Aviation-Based Armed Forces Index, but the number of Iranian government workers is unclear.

They can be equipped for a wide range of purposes, including transporting people and cargo, and can be equipped with weapons for battle.

The state news bureau IRNA says the helicopter carrying the president could carry six travelers and two groups.

According to the non-profit Flight Wellbeing Institution, the most recent fatal accident, including a Chime 212, occurred in September 2023 when a secretly worked model crashed on the shore of the United Bedouin Emirates.

The most recent fatal episode in Iran occurred in April 2018, when a Ringer 212 was emptying a patient with respiratory failure.

Currently, President Vladimir Putin has expressed solidarity with him, describing President Raisi as a "true companion of Russia" and an "extraordinary legislator."

He says Raisi has dedicated himself for as long as he can remember to serving his country and developing "great friendly relations between our nations," according to AFP.

Iran has been a key military partner of Russia since Moscow launched its large-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022.

Meanwhile, China's leader Xi Jinping has portrayed Raisi as an "old friend" to the Chinese public, adding that his "sad passing" is an "extraordinary misfortune for the Iranian public," Reuters reports. .

China is Iran's biggest trading accomplice and a key buyer of its backed oil.

As global pioneers respond to the death of President Raisi, not many places will follow events as closely – or respond as cautiously – as Israel.

What they are looking for is some clue from Iran that there was injustice behind what happened. The slightest hint of Israeli contribution (thought or genuine) would likely plunge the district into a new emergency.

Until now there have been none.

Iranian state media has instead focused on the terrible weather as the reason for the helicopter crash.

Furthermore, Israeli authorities are secretly informing local media that the country had nothing to do with the fall of the Iranian president.

It has been barely a month since the long shadow battle between the two countries emerged from the darkness, after Iran sent many robots and rockets towards hot spots in Israel.

Since then, an uncomfortable business as usual has been restored, but both that confrontation and the conflict between Israel and Iran's proxies in Gaza and Lebanon have put the district under tension.

Azerbaijan's leader Ilham Aliyev says the deaths of President Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian "have crushed us deeply."

The accident occurred when the Iranians returned from a service with President Aliyev on the border between Iran and Azerbaijan to start a dam.

"Iranians have lost a legislator who committed his life for his country with seriousness and penitence," says President Aliyev.

"We wish perseverance and peace of mind from Almighty God for the Iranian public and want to express our condolences to you, to the families and colleagues of those who screwed up, and to every individual Iranian.

Iranian media source Tasnim, associated with the country's Islamic Riot Guardian Corps, reveals that President Ebrahim Raisi's memorial service will take place tomorrow in Tabriz, the city he was traveling to yesterday.

The source reported that burial services will also be held for other victims, referring to authorities in Iran's East Azerbaijan region.

The bodies will be transferred in advance to a legal science office in Tabriz.

Iran's incomparable leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also issued an authoritative statement reporting five days of public mourning for President Raisi.

Iran's office has designated unknown pastor Ali Bagheri Kani as acting unknown cleric, following the death of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, according to the Reuters news organization.

It comes after a meeting of the three parts of Iran's government: the leader, the regulatory executive and the legal executive.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is supposed to take over as president. Iran's constitution says the primary vice president takes office for a 50-day break in the event a president dies in office.

Mokhber has told state television that they would follow President Raisi's path to "satisfy the obligations handed out virtually without interference."