On Monday, the vice president of Iran, Mohsem Mansouri, confirmed on platform X a tragic message: president Ebrahim Raisi and abroad Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died in a chopper crash. This information was previously provided by the Iranian Red Crescent.
The disaster occurred in a dense fog in a mountainous region in the north-west of the country. The accident in which the President, the Minister and the accompanying persons died occurred during the return from the beginning ceremony of the dam on the Araks River, on the border of Iran and Azerbaijan. The ceremony was besides attended by the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
State television, as stressed by the AP agency, did not state the immediate origin of the disaster. Bad weather conditions, including dense fog, made it hard to scope rescue teams.
The Footage shows the transfer of the bodies of the martyrs by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and army rangers pic.twitter.com/oJtEiEc0U6
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) May 20, 2024Losses to Iran
President Ebrahim Raisi was considered a protege of Iran's ultimate spiritual-political leader, Ali Chamenei, and his possible successor. Raisi, with large experience, served as president, was a Shiite clergyman and erstwhile chief judge. Minister Amirabdollahian, in turn, was known for effectively overseeing successful reconciliation with Saudi Arabia.
Both politicians were supporters of an highly conservative and anti-Western Iran policy. As the American paper "Washington Post" notes, their deaths are a immense failure to the Iranian government.
Successors
The Politico portal reports that 1 of the main candidates for the position of ultimate leader of Iran is the boy of Ayatollah Chamenei, Mojtaba Chamenei. He is considered a copycat of his father and an utmost conservative. However, many experts callback that Chamenei has in the past stated that hereditary power is "non-Islamic".
According to the Iranian constitution, in the event of the President's death, his duties are assumed by the first vice president. Mohammad Mochber presently serves as such. 50 days after the Vice President's appointment, presidential elections are to be held, with the approval of the ultimate leader.
Upon the martyrdom of the president and the minister of abroad affairs, the government cabinet convened an ument meeting. pic.twitter.com/ujStRnkWg0
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) May 20, 2024Ebrahim Raisi. Reactions and Condolences
World leaders and the global community express their condolences to the families of the victims and to the Iranian people. This disaster will surely shake Iranian politics and may affect future decisions regarding the country's leadership.
This tragic disaster confronts Iran with many challenges and questions about the future of its policies and interior stability.
AP/Politico/X/mn
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