Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, were declared dead Monday in a helicopter crash, Iranian state media reported.
There were other senior officials on the helicopter, though no survivors had been found at the site of the crash as of 8 a.m. local time, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Earlier, IRNA reported that the president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society confirmed that rescue and search teams had identified Raisi's crashed helicopter. The aircraft carrying Raisi, Amir Abdollahian and other senior officials went down in a mountainous part of northwestern Iran as they returned from an event along Iran's border with Azerbaijan.
On Sunday, Iran's Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, confirmed the "hard landing" of the president's helicopter and said the search-and-rescue operation is underway, according to IRNA.
"Various rescue groups are moving towards the site, but due to the fog and bad weather, it may take time to reach the area. The work is under control," Vahidi said.
War on Gaza: Israeli strikes hit house in Nuseirat refugee camp
War on Gaza: Israeli strikes hit house in Nuseirat refugee camp
Connections
Raisi’s credentials in the religious establishment are strong, with solid relationships with the late Khomeini as well as with Khamenei, who has appointed him to several senior positions.
He has also managed to maintain good relations with all branches of government, military and legislative as well as the powerful theocratic ruling class.
However, Raisi has led Iran during a time of public anger over a deteriorating standard of living, partly due to sanctions and what critics say has been the prioritisation of defence over domestic issues.
In late 2022, public anger erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police, who had arrested the 22-year-old as she left a metro station in Tehran with members of her family for alleged non-compliance with the country’s mandatory hijab rules.
Protests roiled Iran for months, with women taking off or burning their hijabs and cutting their hair off in protest.
The rallies came to an end in mid-2023 after some 500 people were killed when security forces moved in to break up the protests, according to foreign human rights organisations. Seven people were executed for their roles in the unrest.
A United Nations fact-finding mission concluded in March this year that Iran committed crimes against humanity in the crackdown, including murder, torture and rape.
Iran Protest
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in late 2022 led to months of protests in Iran, which eventually ended in a violent crackdown [West Asia News Agency via Reuters]
Stand-offs
Raisi has not shied away from confrontation internationally either.
Angered by the US’s stance towards the JCPOA and the inability of other signatories to save the pact, a defiant Raisi announced that Iran was stepping up its nuclear programme, but that it was not interested in a bomb.
More recently, he led Iran through a standoff with Israel as the two countries squared off over Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza, now approaching its eighth month.
Iran has been outspoken in its condemnation of Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestinian civilians, as have its regional allies in the so-called “axis of resistance” to Israel and its Western allies.
In early April, the Iranian consular building in Damascus was attacked in a strike blamed on Israel, killing seven people including a top commander and his deputy.
For almost two weeks, Raisi’s every utterance was the subject of intense scrutiny as the world awaited Tehran’s response. On April 15, Iran launched a well-telegraphed attack that Israel’s chief military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said involved more than 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones and more than 30 cruise missiles with most intercepted outside Israel’s borders. Minor damage was reported in some areas of Israel, and the attack led to a token response.
The regional rivalry between Iran and Israel could also be seen in Syria, where Israel has launched multiple attacks over the years, ostensibly targeting Iranian military capabilities there.
People praying for the well-being of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. A man at the front of the crowd has his arms outstretched.
People pray for Raisi’s wellbeing as news of the helicopter’s disappearance spreads [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]
Iran has maintained a close relationship with Syria for years, backing President Bashar al-Assad since he ordered a violent response to peaceful protests in 2011, which led to 13 years of civil war. With military and tactical support, Iran has expanded its influence in Syria while the allied Lebanese group Hezbollah has also bolstered Assad’s forces.
Between continuing established foreign policy and navigating new confrontations domestically and internationally, Raisi has so far proved a controversial president.
However, his strong relationships on all levels of the Iranian establishment have also made him a strong contender for a second term, and possibly for the highest post in the land, that of Supreme Leader.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
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