Ian’s President, Ebrahim Raisi has been confirmed dead after a helicopter crush yesterday, Sunday 19th May following bad weather in East AzerbaijanProvince in the North of the country.
There is “no sign” of life coming from President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter, state TV says.
Reuters has also reported that the helicopter was “completely burned” in the crash, citing an Iranian official.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash… unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” the official said.
How Many Other Leaders Were Killed In The Crush?
The names of some of those killed in the helicopter crash besides Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian have now been released.
The IRNA State News Agency says that also on board were Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem, the imam for Friday prayers in the city of Tabriz, and General Malek Rahmati, the governor of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.
Others who were killed were, Governor of Eastern AzerbaijanProvince, Malek Rahmati, Tabriz’s Imam, Mohammad Ali Alehashem, the Pilot, the Copilot, the Crew Chief and the bodyguard.
The commander of the president’s protection unit, Sardar Seyed Mehdi Mousavi, was also killed, as were a number of bodyguards and helicopter crew who have not yet been named.
What Follows After The President’s Death?
The constitution of the Islamic Republic has a straightforward remedy for instances where a president is incapable of executing his duties due to illness, death or impeachment and removal by parliament.
It tasks the vice-president – in this case, Mohammad Mokhber – to run the affairs of the country and jointly with the heads of parliament and the judiciary oversee an election for a new president within a maximum of 50 days.
This would only happen with the confirmation of the supreme leader, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran.
With state media confirming that President Ebrahim Raisi has died, the regime in Iran will move to hold such an election – one that is unlikely to gather any more interest among the public than the last one did.
Last time around, all serious challengers to Raisi were barred from running, clearing the path for him to enter office with the lowest number of voters (around 30% of eligible voters), while the majority boycotted what they saw as a fixed election.
