Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, along with other officials and crew members died in a helicopter crash in the country's East Azerbaijan province, whose cause was stated to be a 'technical failure', as per Iranian state media reports.

helicopter cras
Source: Indiatoday

Raisi and Amirabdollahian had just launched a dam project at the border with Azerbaijan and were on their way to Iran. Rescue crews discovered the scene of their helicopter crash into the rugged terrain of Jolfa in northwest Iran after many hours of intense searching stormy weather. There were no survivors discovered.

Though experts and regional authorities anticipate minimal change in Iran's foreign or domestic policy, their deaths leave the country without two powerful personalities at a particularly turbulent time of international tension and domestic unrest. On Monday, May 20, 2024, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was designated as acting President, according to state media.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, requested that Mokhber make sure a new president is elected within 50 days. Concerns regarding Raisi's potential successor arose after his death. Raisi was close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was considered his successor. The front-runner to succeed Khamenei upon his death at the age of 63 is his 55-year-old son, Mojtaba.

The appointment of a family member to the post has raised some worries, though, particularly in light of the revolution's overthrow of the Shah's hereditary Pahlavi monarchy, according to The Associated Press.

helicopter cras
Source: Geo.TV

Aftermath of Raisi's Death in Helicopter Crash:

The Bell 212, the subject of the incident, was originally designed in 1968 as an upgraded version of another aircraft for the Canadian military. According to the aviation website Skybrary, the model is a two-blade, twin-engine, medium helicopter with up to fifteen passengers that made its first flight in 1968. It was stated that the helicopter was US-designed.

Israel and the United States have stated that they had nothing to do with the helicopter accident in Raisi. According to The Washington Post, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin told reporters on Monday that the Pentagon did not know what caused the disaster and that America "had no part to play" in it. Additionally, an Israeli official stated that Raisi's killing had nothing to do with the Jewish people.

The US expressed its condolences for the passing of Raisi, Amirabdollahian, and other individuals, and restated its support for an Iran under a "new president" that upholds fundamental freedoms. The New York Times said US State Department spokeswoman Mathew Miller was more outspoken about Raisi's past in a daily news briefing.

"Some of the worst human rights abuses occurred during his (Ebrahim Raisi) tenure as president — especially the human rights abuses against the women and girls of Iran. That said, we regret any loss of life, and don’t want to see anyone die in a helicopter crash," Miller added.

Iran's deputy foreign minister and nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, has been designated acting foreign minister, according to official media. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a career diplomat, was succeeded by Kani when he perished in the helicopter accident.

It's uncertain if Kani will stay in his current role if a new administration takes office following an election that takes place in 50 days. A funeral procession will be held in Tabriz city on Tuesday, from where the bodies will then be taken to Tehran for the official funeral.

Iran has declared that from Tuesday through Thursday, there would be five days of mourning in remembrance of President Raisi. However, the public image of loss was reduced on Monday with most stores operating and children attending schools. Later on Monday, hundreds of mourners swarmed Tehran, holding Palestinian flags and carrying posters of Raisi.

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