Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died after a helicopter carrying them and their entourage crashed in the country’s East Azerbaijan province.
According to the media reports, the helicopter made a tough landing during a visit to the country’s northwest. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and East Azarbaijan Province’s Governor Malek Rahmati were also on board the crashed aircraft.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi along with his entourage was en route to Tabriz City after inaugurating a dam at the border with the Azerbaijan Republic on Sunday.
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After winning the presidency in 2021, Raisi, 63, has tightened moral rules, brutally suppressed anti-government demonstrations, and pressed hard for nuclear discussions with international powers. Under Iran’s two-party system, which is divided between the government and the clerical establishment, the supreme leader, not the president, has the last word on all significant matters. However, a lot of people believe that Raisi has a good chance of succeeding his 85-year-old mentor, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has firmly supported Raisi’s core principles.
Hardliners took control of all arms of government after pragmatist Hassan Rouhani, who negotiated a nuclear deal with Washington, won an election keenly watched in 2021 and emerged victorious. However, the massive demonstrations against clerical authority and Raisi’s inability to revive Iran’s economy due to Western sanctions may have damaged her reputation.
