Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, the foreign minister and others were found dead on Monday hours after the crash, according to AP News (Updated May 20, 2024, 9:29 a.m.).
The catastrophe occurred against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Under President Raisi, Iran has enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons grade, further heightening tensions. Meanwhile, Iran has faced years of mass protests over a weak economy and women’s rights, making the moment much more sensitive for Tehran and the country’s future.
State television did not give an immediate cause for the crash, which occurred in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, 60, was among the dead. The helicopter also carried the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, other officials, and bodyguards, state media reported.
Early Monday morning, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what they “suspected to be the wreckage of a helicopter.” Coordinates given in the video indicated that the fire occurred about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of the Azerbaijan-Iran border, on the side of a steep mountain.
Iran’s reaction
Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei called on the public to pray on Sunday night.
We hope that God the Almighty returns the dear president and his colleagues in full health to the arms of the nation.
However, he also emphasised that the activities of the Iranian government would continue despite everything. According to the Iranian constitution, Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Mokhber takes office in case of the president’s death with Khamenei’s consent. A new presidential election will be called within 50 days.
State media reported that Mokhber had already started receiving calls from officials and foreign governments in Raisi’s absence. Iran’s cabinet held an emergency meeting on Monday morning. Afterwards, the cabinet issued a statement promising that it would follow Raisi’s path and that “with the help of God and the people, there will be no problem with the management of the country.”
Raisi won Iran’s 2021 presidential election. The vote at the time showed the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Raisi faced US sanctions partly because of his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.
Under his rule, Iran reportedly launched a massive drone and missile attack on Israel. The country also continues to arm proxy groups in the Middle East, such as Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, mass protests have been raging in the country for years. The most recent one is linked to the death in 2022 of Mahsa Amini. The woman was previously detained over allegedly not wearing a hijab, or headscarf. The months-long crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and detained more than 22,000, according to Arab media.
“Delicate moment”
The helicopter crash came at a “delicate moment for international relations,” The New York Times wrote. The crash occurred just days after senior US and Iranian officials held talks to mitigate the threat of escalation in the Middle East.
Earlier, Raisi also prioritised closer relations with Russia and China and shifting away from the West. He stated that Iran could not trust the US and Europe after the collapse of the nuclear deal. Raisi’s government signed a sweeping 25-year economic, security and military agreement with China.
Tehran agreed to sell discounted oil to Beijing in exchange for $400 billion in investments in Iran by Chinese companies in a wide range of sectors.
The president also travelled frequently to Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin. They deepened relations in the security and military areas. Iran allegedly sold drones to Russia, which used them in the war in Ukraine. However, Raisi denied the accusation.
