Iranian president confirmed dead in helicopter crash

RT
Mon, 20 May 2024 04:36 UTC

© Iranian Presidency/Getty Images

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

Iranian president confirmed dead in helicopter crashEbrahim Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, after a decades-long career in the judiciary

Iranian state media have confirmed that President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday in the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan.

His entire entourage, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Governor of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati, also perished.

The head of state had traveled to the border region after joining Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday to inaugurate a dam. Raisi had pledged to visit each of Iran's 30 provinces at least once a year, and regularly traveled around the country.

Reports of a "crash landing" began circulating on Sunday afternoon, with Iranian state media citing Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi. IRNA news agency reported dense fog in the mountainous area where the aircraft went down.

Raisi was traveling in a US-made Bell 212. Low visibility and the impassibility of the area made search operations difficult, IRNA wrote.

Rescue teams finally managed to locate the crash site on Monday morning with the help of Turkish surveillance drones.

The wreckage was discovered in a wooded area on a mountain slope. The aircraft was severely damaged and charred, and there were no signs of survivors, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said.

With Raisi's passing, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is expected to take office as interim leader.

A representative of the republic's conservative wing, Raisi, was elected in 2021. Before assuming the presidency, he had worked his way up from Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor in Tehran in the 1980s and 1990s all the way to attorney general, and later chief justice.

Comment:
See also:
1) Best of the Web: Helicopter carrying Iranian president crashes - reports

2) The Israeli press has fresh comment on the significance for the political situation in Iran and the Middle East
Haaretz attributing The Associated Press writes:

Iran's Foreign Minister, a Hard-line Diplomat and Hamas, Hezbollah Point Man, Dies in Helicopter Crash

During the Israel-Hamas war, he met with foreign officials and the leader of Hamas and Hezbollah. He also threatened retaliation against Israel and praised an April attack on Israel

The Associated Press May 20, 2024 10:07 am IDT

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, a hardliner close to the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who confronted the West while also overseeing indirect talks with the U.S. over the country's nuclear program, died in the helicopter crash that also killed the country's president, state media

The Times of Israel:

Iran's Raisi confirmed dead in helicopter crash near Azerbaijan border
Officials declare deaths of president and foreign minister after lengthy overnight search in difficult conditions; Hamas conveys 'deepest condolences' to the Iranian government
By AGENCIES and TOI STAFF Today, 9:08 am
[...]
The charred wreckage of the helicopter, which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, along with seven others, was found early on Monday after a 15-hour search in foggy weather conditions.

There is also an opinion piece by LAZAR BERMAN, The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter:

19 May 2024, 9:46 pm Updated: Today, 7:36 am
Raisi's death doesn't change Iranian policy, but will spark fight for power
After fatal crash of Iran's president and potential Khamenei successor, deep stable of figures aiming to fill the vacuum his loss creates may test supreme leader

[...]

Raisi "works for the Supreme Leader," noted Ori Goldberg of Reichman University. "Certainly this guy, because he was elected in the least democratic elections the Islamic Republic ever had."

At the same time, however, the sudden loss of Iran's president creates a power vacuum that senior figures will start maneuvering to take advantage of.

According to Article 131 of Iran's constitution, in the case of the president's death, the first deputy temporarily assumes the presidency. Mohammad Mokhber, a Khamenei loyalist, currently fills that role.

Elections must be held within fifty days.

There is no shortage of powerful officials who have been waiting for an opportunity like this to move further up the regime's power structure, and the sudden shock of the death of Iran's president now presents itself as a test for Khamenei.

"He has to show that he can carry, not the country, but the leadership, through this transition," said Goldberg.

But more importantly, Raisi had been seen as the leading candidate to replace Khamenei. He was immensely experienced — a cleric, ex-chief justice and former head of a massive foundation, in addition to being president.

"To have him off the field or incapacitated, dead, what have you, is a real shock for the politics of the system," said Brodsky.

While overshadowed by Raisi, the loss of Amir-Abdollahian is also significant, as he has been an extremely effective foreign minister, overseeing a successful reconciliation with Saudi Arabia and navigating a series of difficult crises, including with powerful neighbor Pakistan.

Though Iran's broad foreign policy won't change, having to deal with unexpected political upheaval is expected to take attention away from the multi-front fight against Israel.

The country can now be "a little more self-engaged, wrapped up in internal politics, as it sorts out the election for the next president," noted Michael Makovsky, CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

3) The Iranian Press TV was initially slow to comment on the missing helicopter, but this morning there is an the indication of a twist to the crash, whether that is to cover up internal incompetence, to unite the nation, or allude to what led to the crash:

'Saddened and shocked': World leaders extend condolences after President Raeisi's martyrdom
Monday, 20 May 2024 6:51 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 20 May 2024 7:12 AM ]
World leaders have extended condolences to the Iranian government and nation over the martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raeisi in a helicopter crash in the country's northwest.

The above article has statements from India, Pakistan, Venezuela and Iraq.

4) It is not yet clear what caused the crash, apart from it being damned stupid to fly in poor conditions, in difficult terrain after going to a neighbouring country to inaugurate a mere dam. However, given that the pilot was probably experienced, that the other two helicopters did manage and that there was a lot at stake for some foreign governments, the investigation into the reason for the crash could prove interesting.