Iran mourns president Raisi's death in helicopter crash
Published: 04:05 PM,May 20,2024 | EDITED : 08:05 PM,May 20,2024
Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi
TEHRAN: Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after search and rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded mountain region while travelling back from East Azerbaijan province where he had inaugurated a dam project., sparking mourning in the Islamic republic. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate authority in Iran, declared five days of mourning and assigned vice president Mohammad Mokhber, 68.
'In accordance with Article 131 of the constitution, Mokhber is in charge of leading the executive branch,' said Khamenei in a statement, adding that Mokhber will be required to work with the heads of legislative and judicial to prepare for presidential elections 'within a maximum period of 50 days'.
Mokhber, 68, was appointed vice president as Raisi took office in August 2021. The vice president was born in Dezful city in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, where he held several official positions. For years since 2007, Mokhber chaired the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order, a governmental organisation tasked with managing properties confiscated following the 1979 revolution.
Earlier Monday, state TV announced that 'the servant of the Iranian nation, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, has achieved the highest level of martyrdom' and broadcast pictures from Raisi's life as a voice recited the Holy Quran. Khamenei had urged Iranians to 'not worry' about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying 'there will be no disruption in the country's work'.
Killed alongside Raisi were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and seven others, including the crew, bodyguards and political and religious officials. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi took office during a tumultuous period of confrontation abroad and mass protest at home. The Iranian president -- whose career started in the years after the 1979 Islamic revolution and who is close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- took power in a 2021 election that was followed by turbulent years of protests and tensions.
Raisi took power after an election in which more than half the electorate stayed away and several political heavyweights had been barred from standing. He succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, whose signature achievement was a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Iran's veteran nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri, a harsh critic of the West, was Monday named acting foreign minister to replace the top diplomat killed in a helicopter crash along with the president.
Bagheri, 56, had served as deputy to the foreign minister of the Islamic republic, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who perished along with the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and seven others in the accident. Condolences flooded in from countries and organisations worldwide. Iran's Gulf neighbours on Monday mourned the deaths of president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday held a telephone call with Mohammad Mokhber, Iran's interim head-of-state.
China's President Xi Jinping said 'his tragic death is a great loss to the Iranian people, and the Chinese people have lost a good friend. The European Union expressed its 'sincere condolences'. 'Our thoughts go to the families,' EU Council President Charles Michel said in a statement. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was 'deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise' of Raisi, adding that 'India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.' France sent its Condolences 'to the Islamic Republic of Iran... (and) to the families of the victims of this accident,' in a statement from the foreign ministry. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent his 'sincere Condolences to the friendly and fraternal people and government,' in a message on X. A black flag was hoisted in city of Qom, south of Tehran, as a sign of mourning for Raisi, whom many had considered a favourite to one day succeed the supreme leader.
'In accordance with Article 131 of the constitution, Mokhber is in charge of leading the executive branch,' said Khamenei in a statement, adding that Mokhber will be required to work with the heads of legislative and judicial to prepare for presidential elections 'within a maximum period of 50 days'.
Mokhber, 68, was appointed vice president as Raisi took office in August 2021. The vice president was born in Dezful city in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, where he held several official positions. For years since 2007, Mokhber chaired the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order, a governmental organisation tasked with managing properties confiscated following the 1979 revolution.
Earlier Monday, state TV announced that 'the servant of the Iranian nation, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, has achieved the highest level of martyrdom' and broadcast pictures from Raisi's life as a voice recited the Holy Quran. Khamenei had urged Iranians to 'not worry' about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying 'there will be no disruption in the country's work'.
Killed alongside Raisi were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and seven others, including the crew, bodyguards and political and religious officials. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi took office during a tumultuous period of confrontation abroad and mass protest at home. The Iranian president -- whose career started in the years after the 1979 Islamic revolution and who is close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- took power in a 2021 election that was followed by turbulent years of protests and tensions.
Raisi took power after an election in which more than half the electorate stayed away and several political heavyweights had been barred from standing. He succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, whose signature achievement was a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Iran's veteran nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri, a harsh critic of the West, was Monday named acting foreign minister to replace the top diplomat killed in a helicopter crash along with the president.
Bagheri, 56, had served as deputy to the foreign minister of the Islamic republic, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who perished along with the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and seven others in the accident. Condolences flooded in from countries and organisations worldwide. Iran's Gulf neighbours on Monday mourned the deaths of president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday held a telephone call with Mohammad Mokhber, Iran's interim head-of-state.
China's President Xi Jinping said 'his tragic death is a great loss to the Iranian people, and the Chinese people have lost a good friend. The European Union expressed its 'sincere condolences'. 'Our thoughts go to the families,' EU Council President Charles Michel said in a statement. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was 'deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise' of Raisi, adding that 'India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.' France sent its Condolences 'to the Islamic Republic of Iran... (and) to the families of the victims of this accident,' in a statement from the foreign ministry. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent his 'sincere Condolences to the friendly and fraternal people and government,' in a message on X. A black flag was hoisted in city of Qom, south of Tehran, as a sign of mourning for Raisi, whom many had considered a favourite to one day succeed the supreme leader.