Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri solemnly affirmed the demise of President Ebrahim Raisi and all other occupants, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, following a tragic helicopter mishap.
“President Ebrahim Raisi, the foreign minister, and all passengers aboard the helicopter perished in the crash,” a high-ranking Iranian official confided to Reuters under the condition of anonymity, citing the delicate nature of the incident. Concurrently, Iran’s Mehr news agency corroborated the president’s demise, declaring, “all passengers of the helicopter transporting the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred.”
The ill-fated helicopter, conveying President Raisi, 63, and his foreign minister, encountered its demise on Sunday as it navigated treacherous mountainous terrain enveloped in dense fog.
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Iranian state media attributed the calamity to adverse meteorological conditions, which also hindered rescue endeavors. State news agency IRNA disclosed that Raisi was aboard a US-manufactured Bell 212 helicopter. In addition to the president and foreign minister, the Governor of East Azarbaijan Province, Malek Rahmati, the Supreme Leader’s envoy in East Azerbaijan province, Mohammad Ali Al-e-Hashem, and several others were also on the ill-fated flight, IRNA reported.
Helicopter Crash
The chief of staff of Iran’s military has commanded the mobilization of all army resources and the elite Revolutionary Guard for search and rescue operations. Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sought to allay the nation’s anxieties, assuring that state affairs would proceed without interruption.
Rescue teams braved blizzards and rugged terrain throughout the night to reach the wreckage in the early hours of Monday.
Pir-Hossein Kolivand, chief of the Iran Red Crescent Society, informed the semi-official Tasnim news agency, stating: “No sign of survivors has been observed following the discovery of the crash site.”
The national broadcaster temporarily suspended regular programming to broadcast prayers being held for Raisi nationwide.
Several nations expressed concern and extended offers of assistance for any rescue efforts.
The White House confirmed that US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the reports of the crash. China expressed profound concern, while the European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology.
Succession Protocol In accordance with Iran’s constitution, Vice President Mohmmad Mokhber will assume presidential responsibilities in the wake of Raisi’s death.
Article 131 of the Islamic Republic’s constitution stipulates that upon a president’s demise, the first vice president assumes office, pending the supreme leader’s endorsement, who retains ultimate authority over state matters, as per Reuters.
A council comprising the first vice president, the parliamentary speaker, and the judiciary head must organize a presidential election within a maximum span of 50 days.
Raisi had been elected president in 2021, and a presidential election was originally scheduled for 2025. Under the constitutional framework, the election is now anticipated by early July.
As interim president, Mokhber will join a triumvirate with the parliamentary speaker and the judiciary head to orchestrate a new presidential election within 50 days of the president’s demise.
Mokhber, deemed close to Khamenei, became the First Vice President in 2021 following Raisi’s election.
Previously, Mokhber led Setad, an investment entity affiliated with the supreme leader. In 2010, the European Union sanctioned Mokhber for alleged participation in “nuclear or ballistic missile activities,” but he was removed from the sanctions list two years later.
