Iranian President and FM dead in helicopter crash
The death of Iran’s ultra-conservative president in a May 19th helicopter crash brings the potential for a transformation in domestic and regional stability. Ebrahim Raisi presided over heightened domestic repression, notably in enforcing Iran’s hijab laws, as-well-as unprecedented levels of brinksmanship with Israel and the US.
Raisi and Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were confirmed dead on May 20th, according to Al Jazeera and agencies. The president’s entourage were returning from Azerbaijan, where Raisi had been to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Six other passengers and crew were killed in the helicopter crash after contact was lost over mountainous north-west Iran on May 19th.
READ: Facts so far on crash of Iranian president’s helicopter
Some, including Iranian authorities, have suggested that international sanctions played a role in the crash, with analyst Alex Macheras stating that “the helicopter involved was acquired over 40 years ago,” with acquiring parts to refit the country’s aging fleet greatly affected.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced five days of mourning and has appointed 1st Vice President Mohammed Mokhber as interim president, while Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri will replace Amir-Abdollahian.
Iran’s constitution dictates that a new presidential election must be held within the next 50 days.
Iran’s Red Crescent claimed over 70 rescue teams were deployed to find the downed helicopter, with all Iran’s Army and Revolutionary Guard’s resources directed to the search, as reported by The Guardian.
Raisi was seen as a protégé of Khamenei and a potential successor to the 85-year-old supreme leader.
The former leader of the Islamic Republic’s judiciary, Raisi was elected in 2021 with the lowest electoral turnout in the country’s history. He was also under US sanctions for his role in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.
Under Raisi, Iran enriched uranium at near weapons-grade levels while hampering international inspections. The country has supplied Russia with arms to fight its war in Ukraine and recently launched direct drone and missile attacks on Israel, all the while supporting proxy groups, such as Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
READ: Israel targets pro-Iranian militia in Damascus
The most recent wave of mass protests in Iran were ignited by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who was detained for violating the country’s hijab laws.
The security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people, with more than 22,000 detained.
Al Jazeera / The Guardian / Agencies
