Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian have died in a helicopter crash, an Iranian official told Reuters.
“To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return…” Iran’s vice president Mohsen Mansouri has also confirmed Ebrahim Raisi death.
Following the death of president Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s vice president Muhammad Mukhbar will assume the role of acting president, pending approval from the Supreme Leader.
The wreckage was found on Monday by rescuers and the local media had earlier reported that “no sign of life’ were found at the crash site.
More than twelve hours later, rescuers found the wreckage of the helicopter about two kilometers away. The incident occurred near Jolfa, a town on the border with Azerbaijan, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Raisi was reportedly returning from neighboring Azerbaijan.
Nine people were onboard the helicopter including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Province Malek Rahmati, Tabriz’s Friday prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem, a pilot, copilot, crew chief, head of security, and another bodyguard.
Here is all you need to know about Ebrahim Raisi:
Ebrahim Raisi, 63, had long been considered the natural successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s highest authority.
Ebrahim Raisi’s early years
Raisi started studying at the prestigious religious seminary of Qom when he was 15 years old and later studied under several Muslim scholars of the time.
When he was in his early 20s, he was appointed prosecutor in several cities until he moved to the capital, Tehran, and worked as a deputy prosecutor.
In 1983 he married Jamileh Alamolhoda, daughter of the Friday prayer Imam of Mashhad, Ahmad Alamolhoda. They had two daughters.
In 1988, he served on a committee that oversaw a series of executions of political prisoners for five months. This made him unpopular among the Iranian opposition and led the United States to impose sanctions on him. He was appointed prosecutor of Tehran in 1989 following the death of Iran’s first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Raisi continued to rise under Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Khamenei, and on March 7, 2016 he became president of Astan Quds Razavi, Mashhad’s largest religious foundation, thus cementing his status within the Iranian establishment.
Ebrahim Raisi’s presidential run
Raïssi first ran for the presidency in 2017 against Hassan Rouhani, a candidate for re-election. Rouhani had overseen negotiations for Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, limiting its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Raisi, a critic of the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), comes from a tougher bloc than Rouhani, who was considered a political moderate in Iran’s political system.
After his defeat, Raïssi began planning his next presidential campaign. He won 62% of the vote in June 2021, but a low turnout of 48.8% marred the election after several reformists and moderates were prevented from running.
At the time, the JCPOA was in tatters after the United States – under former US President Donald Trump – unilaterally withdrew and reimposed its sanctions on Iran, which had serious consequences for the Iranian economy.
Ebrahim Raisi’s links
Raisi’s credentials within the religious establishment were solid and he maintained strong ties with the late Khomeini and with Khamenei, who appointed him to several high-level positions.
He also managed to maintain good relations with all branches of the government, the army, the legislature and the powerful theocratic ruling class.
Yet Raisi led Iran through a time of public anger over deteriorating living standards, fueled in part by sanctions and, critics say, prioritizing defense over domestic issues.
In late 2022, public outrage erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police, who arrested the 22-year-old for allegedly breaking the law while leaving a Tehran metro station with members of his family for allegedly not complying with the mandatory hijab rules of the country.
Protests have rocked Iran for months, with women removing or burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in protest.
According to foreign human rights organizations, the demonstrations ended in mid-2023 after around 500 people were killed when security forces intervened to disperse the protests. Seven people were executed for their participation in the unrest.
International stand-offs
Raisi also did not hesitate to face the international confrontation.
Angered by the United States’ stance towards the JCPOA and the failure of other signatories to save the deal, Raisi defiantly announced that Iran would strengthen its nuclear programme but had no interest in a bomb.
He recently led Iran through a confrontation with Israel as the two countries fought over Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza, now approaching its eighth month.
Iran has clearly condemned Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestinian civilians, as have its regional allies in the so-called “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and its Western allies.
The Iranian consulate building in Damascus was attacked in early April. The strike which was blamed on Israel, left seven people dead, including a top commander and his deputy.
For almost two weeks, each of Raisi’s statements came under scrutiny as the world awaited Tehran’s response. On April 15, Iran launched a high-profile attack using more than 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones and more than 30 cruise missiles, most of them intercepted outside Israel’s borders, according to Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari. Minor damage was reported in some parts of Israel and the attack sparked a symbolic response.
The regional rivalry between Iran and Israel is also evident in Syria, where Israel has carried out several attacks over the years, allegedly targeting Iranian military capabilities.
Iran has had close ties with Syria for years and has supported President Bashar al-Assad since he ordered a violent response to peaceful protests in 2011 that led to a 13-year civil war. With military and tactical support, Iran has expanded its influence in Syria, while the Lebanese allied group Hezbollah has also strengthened Assad’s forces.
Between pursuing an established foreign policy and managing new internal and external confrontations, Raisi has so far proven to be a controversial president.
However, his close relationships at all levels of the Iranian establishment also made him a strong candidate for a second term and perhaps for the country’s highest office, that of Supreme Leader.
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