Iran helicopter crash highlights as on May 20, 2024 | Vice President Mokhber to assume duties after President Raisi’s death

Gazans spared little thought for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi killed in a helicopter crash, saying he had failed to ease the suffering in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after search and rescue teams found the remains of his helicopter which crashed Sunday in a fog-shrouded western mountain region of Iran.

Palestinian militant group Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip and receives financial and military support from Iran, paid tribute to Raisi’s “support for the Palestinian resistance, and tireless efforts in solidarity” with Palestinians.

- AFP

Afghanistan’s Taliban government expressed regret over the deaths of Iran’s president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and all Afghans are deeply saddened and affected by this tragic event,” said Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund in a statement.

- AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as an “outstanding politician” and said his death in a helicopter crash was an “irreplaceable loss.”

Iran has become one of Russia’s key political allies since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022, with Tehran supplying crucial drone technology.

“Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was dedicated to serving his homeland,” Mr. Putin said in a letter to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, published on the Kremlin website.

- AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Iran’s new interim president as Moscow made clear its desire to preserve and build on its deepening relationship with Tehran despite the sudden death of President Ebrahim Raisi.

The Kremlin said Mr. Putin expressed his condolences to interim president Mohammad Mokhber and to the whole Iranian people over Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash, describing Raisi as a “reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution” to bilateral relations.

“Both sides emphasised their mutual desire to further consistently strengthen comprehensive Russian-Iranian interaction for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the Putin-Mokhber call.

- Reuters

Iran’s veteran nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri, a harsh critic of the West, was named acting foreign minister to replace the top diplomat killed in a helicopter crash along with the president.

Mr. 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.

Mr. Bagheri is considered close to Iran’s ultraconservatives and a member of the inner circle of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the father-in-law of Bagheri’s brother.

- AFP

Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hossein Aamir-Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran have passed away in a helicopter crash. 

As a mark of respect to the departed dignitaries, the Government of India has decided that there will be one day’s State mourning on May 21, 2024 throughout India.

On the day of the mourning, the national flag will be flown at half mast throughout India on all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day.

SCO FM meeting to go ahead as planned on Tuesday, May 21, according to sources. Iran has decided to participate at diplomatic level.

China is sending deep condolences to Iran over the deaths of the country’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a helicopter crash, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Monday.

China provided active assistance in the rescue operation, Wang said without giving details, and will continue to support Iran.

-Reuters

Iran’s Gulf neighbours on Monday mourned the deaths of president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash.

The oil-rich UAE, which has mended ties with Tehran after years of rift, “stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time”, said Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the Iranian government and people over the passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and those accompanying them following a tragic accident,” Sheikh Mohammed posted on social media platform X.

In another statement on X, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, called the news “painful”, expressing his “sincere condolences to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

-AFP

The death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash is a major blow to the Islamic republic’s clerical leadership, an exiled opposition group said Monday, predicting a succession of crises.

The People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) and its political wing the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) have long detested Raisi, accusing him of involvement in the 1988 mass executions of thousands of their members and other dissidents when he was a young prosecutor.

Raisi’s death “represents a monumental and irreparable strategic blow to the mullahs’ supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the entire regime, notorious for its executions and massacres”, NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi said in a statement.

“It will trigger a series of repercussions and crises within theocratic tyranny, which will spur rebellious youths into action,” she said.

-AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin send his condolences to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday over the death of Ebrahim Raisi and said that he had been a true friend of Russia.

“Please accept my deep condolences in connection with the great tragedy that befell the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Putin told Khamenei in a message, the Kremlin said.

“Seyed Ebrahim Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was devoted to serving the Motherland,” Putin said his telegram.

-Reuters

Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday mourned the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, saying his loss will be felt across the Muslim world, especially among Palestinians.

Raisi’s death “is a loss not only for Iran but also for the entire Islamic world and Palestine and Gaza,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said on X, adding that the Palestinians were “in dire need of the presence of such a president who continued to defend” their right to freedom.

-AFP

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assigned vice president Mohammad Mokhber to assume interim duties after the death of president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash a day earlier.

“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”.

-AFP

Iran’s supreme leader has appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as country’s acting president after a helicopter crash killed President Ebrahim Raisi.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the announcement in a condolence message he shared for Raisi’s death in the crash Sunday. The helicopter was found Monday in northwestern Iran.

Khamenei also announced five days of mourning in the message.

-AP

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently invited Iran to join the BRICS group, expressed deep regret Monday over the death of President Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

“This is an extraordinary, unthinkable tragedy that has claimed a remarkable leader of a nation with whom South Africa enjoys strong bilateral relations,” Ramaphosa said.

-AFP

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday he was “deeply saddened” by the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials in a helicopter crash, noting their shared commitment to strengthening ties.

“I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several other officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said in a statement on social media.

“We committed ourselves to bolstering Malaysia-Iran relations, working together for the betterment of our peoples and the Muslim world. Our pledge will be fulfilled.”

-AFP

Israel was not involved in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash that also killed several members of his entourage, an Israeli official told Reuters on Monday.

“It wasn’t us,” said the official, who requested anonymity. 

-Reuters

Lebanon on Monday announced three days of national mourning for the Iranian president and foreign minister, who were killed in a helicopter crash overnight near the Azerbaijan border.

Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah had also offered its condolences for the pair. 

-AFP

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed condolences on Monday over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

“From the first moment we heard of the accident, we have been in contact with the Iranian authorities and mobilised all means to assist (rescue) efforts. Relevant institutions including our Defence Ministry and AFAD disaster authority did their best but unfortunately we weren’t able to hear good news,” Fidan told a joint news conference on Monday with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad. 

-Reuters

Hamas on Monday expressed its condolences for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash, mourning in a statement an “honourable supporter” of the Tehran-backed Palestinian militant group.

Hamas said it appreciated Mr. Raisi’s “support for the Palestinian resistance, and tireless efforts in solidarity” with Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza following the group’s October 7 attack.

Iran’s Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on Monday mourned the deaths of president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash.

The oil-rich UAE, which has mended ties with Tehran after years of rift, “stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time”, said Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the Iranian government and people over the passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and those accompanying them following a tragic accident,” Sheikh Mohammed posted on social media platform X.

Ebrahim Raisi, like Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wore a black turban, which means he traced his lineage back to the Prophet Mohammed. Before being elected President in November 2021, he was the chief of Iran’s judiciary. A close ally of Mr. Khamenei, Raisi, after his controversial election victory, helped the conservatives tighten their grip on Iran’s state and society, after an eight-year period of Hassan Rouhani, the architect of Iran’s failed nuclear deal with world powers. As President, Mr. Raisi tightened crackdown at home, strengthened Iran’s ties with Russia and China and adopted a much more muscular foreign policy, which saw Tehran launching an unprecedented missile and drone attack towards Israel in April. He was seen as a potential successor to Mr. Khamenei, the most powerful man in the Islamic Republic. But such predictions did not last long.

On May 19, President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and a few other officials were killed in a helicopter crash in the Varzaghan region of East Azerbaijan province.

Hamas on May 20 expressed its condolences for Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash, mourning in a statement an “honourable supporter” of the Tehran-backed Palestinian militant group.

Hamas said it appreciated Raisi’s “support for the Palestinian resistance, and tireless efforts in solidarity” with Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza following the group’s October 7 attack. - AFP

The Iranian Red Crescent said on May 20 that the bodies of president Ebrahim Raisi and others who died in a helicopter crash had been recovered, and search operations had ended.

“We are in the process of transferring the bodies of the martyrs to Tabriz” in Iran’s northwest, Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand told state TV, adding that “the search operations have come to an end.”

The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian has also cast a shadow over the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan on May 21.

Other foreign ministers of SCO countries have already arrived in the Kazakh capital, and sources said a decision is still to be made about how to proceed. As elections are underway, India has sent Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi, who was due to work with other delegations to prepare the final summit agenda for the SCO summit due to be held in early July.

India had organised the SCO FM meet in Goa in May last year.

- Suhasini Haider

Here are some key facts about Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran’s first Vice President who became interim President on the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

“Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow,” PM Modi tweeted.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash on May 20 after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported. Raisi was 63.

The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel just last month.

Under the Iranian constitution, Iran’s vice first president takes over if the president dies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assent, and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber already had begun receiving calls from officials and foreign governments in Raisi’s absence, state media reported.

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was deeply concerned about the crash of a helicopter carrying the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi.

A helicopter carrying Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on May 19 as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog, an Iranian official told Reuters, and rescuers were struggling to reach the site of the incident.

Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi has long been seen as a protégé to Iran’s supreme leader and a potential successor for his position within the country’s Shia theocracy.

News of his helicopter making what state media described as a “hard landing” on May 19 immediately brought new attention to the leader, who already faces sanctions from the U.S. and other nations over his involvement in the mass execution of prisoners in 1988.