On Monday, the Iranian officials confirmed that a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday after it crossed the mountainous terrain regions under heavy fog. The rescuers were released just after hearing about this incident but the Iranian President was later reported dead as there was no sign of life in the helicopter wreckage.
The Iranian officials stated that ‘the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were “at risk following the helicopter crash’.This incident happened after the Iranian President visited the Azerbaijan border, which is located in the north-western region of Iran.
Iranian Media On the Search For Ebrahim Raisi
The Iranian state media informed that only one passenger and one crew member of the helicopter were in contact with the rescuers. According to an unknown report, a Turkish drone suspected and identified the source of heat that crashed the President’s helicopter and shared all the coordinates of the crash site with the Iranian authorities.
The Iranian state media also informed and said that bad weather was the main reason for the crash of the president’s U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter. They also said that the Iranian officials and chief of the army are planning to use all their resources and the elite Revolutionary Guards in the search and rescue operations for the Iranian President.
The Iranian media also showed that several Iranian broadcasting channels stopped their coverage to show prayers being held across the country for the return of Raisi and his foreign minister. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, spoke on Iran’s foreign policy and nuclear program, promising the public that there wouldn’t be any disturbance in the state affairs of Iran.
Iranian Officials On the Search Operation and Death of Raisi
In the early hours of Monday, some rescue squads leaned over a GPS gadget while searching for a pitch-black mountaintop on foot in a snowstorm. Iranian officials recently informed the public and the state media that the Iranian President’s US-made helicopter completely burned after the crash, which leaves no survival chances for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister.
Iran President’s Helicopter Crash: Searchers Nearing Location
Iranian media report that despite weather and visibility of less than 5m due to fog, within 10-15mins they will be at the coordinates of the aircraft that the Iranian President was on
Video: Tasnim News pic.twitter.com/TwN6PhSa5g
— Soumyajit Pattnaik (@soumyajitt) May 19, 2024
The Iranian officials stated ‘President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead.’ This news was shared after the rescue team fought the snowstorm and founded the wreckage in the East Province of Azerbaijan.
Pir Hossein Kolivand, the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, said that they saw the wreckage, and the situation was not that good for the survival of Iranian President Raisi since the helicopter was completely burned and no signs of life were detected from the wreckage.
Ebrahim Raisi (63) was elected president of Iran in 2021, and after he entered the office, he demanded a strengthening of the morality rules and guidelines, which was led by a fatal assault on the anti-government protesters, and pushed hard for negotiations with the major powers to discuss nuclear weapons.
International Officials on the Crash Incident
Neighboring countries like Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan showed concern over the crash of the Iranian President’s helicopter, and they offered any sort of assistance in their rescue operations.
On the other hand, Joe Biden, the President of the US, was informed about the crash incident, and the Chinese government was also really worried about the helicopter crash. The European Union also offered emergency satellite mapping technology for the search of the president’s helicopter.
Who will be In Charge after the Death of Raisi?
As per Article 131 in the Iranian Constitution, if a president dies in office, the first vice president will take over and assume the powers of the president. In the current scenario, Mohammad Mokhber, the 69-year-old Vice President of Iran, will assume powers after getting confirmation from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.
An election will also be arranged within 50 days after it was scheduled to hold presidential elections in 2025.
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