Reports from both Iranian state news agency IRINN and CNN indicate that there were no survivors discovered at the site where the helicopter transporting Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi crashed.
Ebrahim Raisi, formerly a hardline judiciary chief, assumed the role of Iran’s eighth president after a notably uncompetitive election in 2021. Throughout his tenure, which witnessed heightened suppression of dissent, human rights organizations closely monitored his actions.
In the event of Raisi’s absence, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would ascend to the presidency pending approval from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Supreme Leader holds unparalleled authority over both domestic and foreign affairs within the Islamic Republic, overshadowing the president’s influence.
In contrast to his predecessor, the moderate Hassan Rouhani, Raisi cultivated a strong alliance with Khamenei. Many Iranians speculated that Raisi was being groomed to eventually succeed the aging 85-year-old Supreme Leader.
Per The Washington Post:
There are no signs of life at the crash site, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported Monday morning local time.
The crashed helicopter that was transporting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was found by search and rescue teams, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said, citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
The IRNA did not specify the helicopter wreckage’s exact location. Iran’s state-run Press TV also reported the news, more than 12 hours after news of the helicopter’s disappearance first surfaced.
Earlier, Turkish state media reported that a Turkish drone had identified sources of heat, giving rescue teams a lead on their search for a potential crash site. Rescue teams had headed toward the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, Press TV reported.Rescue workers have begun approaching the crash site, the IRNA said, adding that Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir-Hossein Kolivand had described the situation as “not good.”
Per The New York Post:
Search crews reported “no signs of life” as they found the mangled helicopter that was carrying Iran’s hardliner President Ebrahim Raisi, the “Butcher of Tehran,” before it crashed in a remote region of the country on Sunday.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” an official told Reuters.
Raisi’s helicopter went down in a remote mountainous area is hazardous weather, and it took many hours of rescuers to locate the crash site.
With Raisi’s death, all eyes have turned to what his death might mean for Iran’s government.
Under Iranian law, the country’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will now step into the role as president for a custodial period of 50 days, at which point an election must be held to choose Raisi’s successor.