Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash

 

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner seen as a possible replacement for eminent pioneer Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died after his helicopter crashed in unfortunate weather in mountains near the border with Azerbaijan, officials and officials said Monday. state media.

The charred remains of the helicopter that crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi, unknown pastor Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other travelers and his team were found almost immediately on Monday after a brief search in blizzard conditions.

Prominent pioneer Khamenei, who wields extreme power with the final say over international strategy and Iran's atomic program, said that First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would take over as relieved president, the authority's news office, IRNA, revealed.

"I declare five days of public mourning and extend my deepest condolences to the dear individuals of Iran," Khamenei said in an explanation. Mokhber, like Raisi, is seen as close to Khamenei.

According to the Islamic Republic's constitution, another official political race should be held in 50 days or less.

Films from Iranian state television showed scattered destruction on a misty slope, while isolated IRNA footage showed Red Bow workers carrying a covered body on a cot. Everyone on board the helicopter died, a senior Iranian official had previously told Reuters.

Unknown deputy pastor Ali Bagheri Kani was appointed unknown acting priest following the death of Amirabdollahian, IRNA said.

The accident comes as differences develop within Iran over a variety of political, social and financial emergencies. Iran's administrative rulers face global tension over Tehran's controversial atomic program and its developing military ties with Russia during the conflict in Ukraine.

Since Iran's partner Hamas persecuted Israel on October 7, inciting Israel's attack on Gaza, fires have spread across the Middle East, including by Iranian-controlled armed groups.

A long-running "shadow battle" between Iran and Israel emerged from the darkness last month with exchanges of robot blows and rockets.

State media detailed that images from the scene showed the American-made Chime 212 helicopter crashed into the top of a mountain, despite the fact that there was no authority on the reason for the accident. Also among the dead were the legislative leader of the territory of East Azerbaijan and a high-ranking imam of the city of Tabriz.

An Israeli official told Reuters she was not associated with the crash. "It wasn't us," said the authority, who mentioned the secret.

The helicopter crashed in the town of Varzeqan, north of Tabriz, the state news agency IRNA reported, when Raisi was returning from an official visit to the border with Azerbaijan in northwest Iran.

Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021 and, since taking office, has called for ethical standards, oversaw a ridiculous crackdown on dissident enemies of the government and pushed hard for atomic discussions with the World powers.

Messages of condolence poured in from Iran's neighbors and provincial partners, including the heads of state of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, the Middle East Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Raisi "a true comrade of Russia," while Indian State leader Narendra Modi said he was "deeply stunned and disheartened."

There was less response from Western capitals, although the European Association and Japan expressed their condolences.

The Iranian-backed Hamas aggressor group, which is fighting Israeli powers in Gaza with the help of Tehran, made a statement conveying compassion to the Iranian nation for "this enormous misfortune."

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group and Houthi rebels in Yemen also issued proclamations applauding Raisi and mourning his death.

Meanwhile, the banished resistance group, the Obstruction Public Assembly of Iran, described his disappearance in a proclamation as a "stupendous and desperate vital blow" to the Islamic Republic.

Rescuers battled downpours, snowstorms and difficult landscapes during that time to reach the destruction in the early hours of Monday.

"With the disclosure of the crash site, no indications have been identified that anything was happening beneath the surface among the helicopter travelers," the head of Iran's Red Arc, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state television.

Previously, the issuer Hardliners, possible replacement for Khamenei

In Iran's dual political framework, divided between the administrative base and public authority, it is Raisi's guiding son, Khamenei, preeminent pioneer since around 1989, who holds the dynamic power in every major deal.

For quite some time, Raisi has been seen by many as strong points to succeed Khamenei, who has supported Raisi's main strategies.

Raisi's triumph in a firmly monitored political career in 2021 left all sectors of the force heavily influenced by hardliners, after eight years in which the administration had been in the hands of the royalist Hassan Rouhani and an atomic agreement haggled with powers, including Washington.

However, Raisi's prestige could have been affected by far-reaching challenges to Iran's government, such as the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, 22, under high-quality police custody and the inability to turn the economy around. of Iran, paralyzed by Western approvals.

Raisi had been on the Azerbaijani line on Sunday to start construction of the Qiz-Qalasi dam, a joint venture. Azerbaijan's leader Ilham Aliyev, who said he had bid farewell to Raisi "well-willed" earlier that day, had offered help with the rescue.