United Arab Emirates’ DUBAI — Following their helicopter crash in fog on Monday, the bodies of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister were discovered, depriving the Islamic Republic of two important figures at a time when unprecedented tensions are roiling the Middle East.

The Shiite theocracy’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, swiftly appointed a little-known vice president as caretaker and affirmed that the administration was in charge, but the fatalities were yet another setback for a nation already struggling with domestic and international challenges.

The helicopter crashed in high terrain in a sudden, dense fog, but Iran has not claimed responsibility for the incident or implied that sabotage was the cause.

The capital of Iran, Tehran, saw Monday schoolchildren and open businesses. But security forces, both plainclothes and uniformed, were conspicuously present.

Iran’s President And Foreign Minister Die In Helicopter Crash At Moment Of High Tensions In Mideast

Hundreds more mourners poured into downtown Vali-e-Asr square later in the day, waving Palestinian flags and clutching posters of Raisi. A few males were crying clearly and holding prayer beads. Ladies with black chadors stood in a group with pictures of the deceased leader.

The 36-year-old Mohammad Beheshti remarked, “We were shocked that we lost such a character, a character that made Iran proud and humiliated the enemies.”

The disaster occurs while the region is rocked by the Israel-Hamas conflict. The crisis was initiated by an attack spearheaded by Hamas, which Iran sponsors. Hezbollah, which Tehran also backs, has fired missiles at Israel. Iran attacked Israel with its own historic drone and missile attack last month.

Raisi, 63, a hard-liner who once oversaw the nation’s judiciary, was considered Khamenei’s protégé. Under his leadership, Iran’s uranium enrichment program brought it closer to weapons-grade levels, and it provided Russia with drones equipped with bombs to aid in its conflict in Ukraine. As a result, ties with the West continued to worsen.

The situation is made much more delicate by the fact that his government has endured years of large-scale demonstrations for women’s rights and the failing economy.

The state-run IRNA news agency said that all eight occupants of the Bell 212 helicopter, which Iran had purchased in the early 2000s, perished in the crash. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the province governor of East Azerbaijan, a prominent Tabrizian priest, a Revolutionary Guard officer, and three crew members were among the deceased, according to IRNA.

Since the time of the shah, Bell helicopters have been widely used in Iran. However, due to Western sanctions, planes in Iran frequently operate without safety inspections and experience a shortage of parts. In light of this, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attempted to assign blame for the tragedy to the US.

The United States “embargoed the sale of aircraft and aviation parts to Iran and does not allow the people of Iran to enjoy good aviation facilities,” Zarif told The Associated Press, citing this as one of the main causes of yesterday’s tragedy.

Although U.S. sanctions have prevented Iran from replacing and repairing its fleet for decades, according to Ali Vaez, project director for the International Crisis Group’s Iran program, “one can’t overlook human error and the weather’s role in this particular accident.”

Aerospace researcher and consultant Richard Aboulafia stated that Iran is probably using the black market to obtain parts for maintaining the fleet, but he doubted Iran’s ability to operate older helicopters safely.

“It’s not a good combination to have black-market parts and whatever local maintenance capabilities they have,” he stated.

Iran’s President And Foreign Minister Die In Helicopter Crash At Moment Of High Tensions In Mideast

According to aviation data business Cirium, there are now 15 Bell 212 helicopters registered in Iran, with an average age of 35. These helicopters may be in storage or actively used.

State TV did not provide an apparent cause for the crash in the Iranian region of East Azerbaijan. However, IRNA footage displayed the accident location, which was across a precipitous valley among a range of lush mountains.

According to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the country is still investigating the circumstances surrounding the “very unfortunate helicopter crash,” but it is unable to determine what caused it. He stated, “At this point in time, I don’t necessarily see any broader regional security impacts.”

By the constitution, Khamenei has designated Mohammad Mokhber, the first vice president, as caretaker for the time being. According to IRNA, a successor would be chosen on June 28. According to Iranian state TV, Raisi’s funeral was scheduled for Thursday in his birthplace of Mashhad, with further funerals scheduled for Tuesday.

According to state television, Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, will become the nation’s acting foreign minister.

Soon after Iran confirmed there were no survivors, condolences flowed in from allies and neighbors. In a message on the social media site X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that his nation “stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.” In a statement by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Raisi “a true friend of Russia.”

Syrian President Bashar Assad, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also extended condolences. Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, expressed his and his government’s “deep shock.” When the tragedy occurred on Sunday, Raisi returned from the border between Iran and Azerbaijan, where he had recently opened a dam with Aliyev.

The tragedy shocked Iranians equally, and Khamenei announced a five-day public mourning period. However, a lot of people have been demoralized by the country’s rial currency collapse and concerns of regional conflicts escalating out of control, particularly with Israel or Pakistan, with which Iran traded gunfire this year.

Tehran resident Mahrooz Mohammadi Zadeh, 53, said, “I don’t think he was as successful as he should have been, but he tried to carry out his duties well.”

Although Khamenei insisted that Iran’s government would continue as usual, Raisi’s passing aroused concerns about what would happen when the 85-year-old supreme leader passed away or resigned. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, only two persons have occupied this office, which has the final say on all matters pertaining to the state.

Iran’s President And Foreign Minister Die In Helicopter Crash At Moment Of High Tensions In Mideast

Raisi was considered a possible candidate. The sole additional individual proposed has been Mojtaba, Khamenei’s 55-year-old son. However, questions have been raised about appointing a family member to a position, especially since the revolution toppled the Shah’s hereditary Pahlavi monarchy.

Iran’s Cabinet promised in a statement during an emergency meeting that it would follow Raisi’s lead and that “there will be no problem with management of the country, with the help of God and the people.”

Iran’s 2021 presidential election was won by Raisi despite the lowest voter turnout in the country’s history. The U.S. imposed sanctions on him partly due to his role in the 1988 horrific Iran-Iraq war death of thousands of political detainees.

Iran now obstructs foreign inspections and enriches uranium almost to weapons-grade levels under Raisi. Iran has armed Russia in the conflict with Ukraine and attacked Israel with a large-scale drone and missile assault as part of its conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, it has persisted in arming proxies in the Middle East, like as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

For years, the nation has been rocked by widespread protests. The latest concerned Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022; she was a lady held due to her reportedly loose headscarf, or hijab. Following the protests, there was a months-long security crackdown that resulted in over 500 deaths and over 22,000 arrests.

Iran was held accountable by a United Nations investigating panel in March for the “physical violence” that resulted in Amini’s murder.

The second president of Iran to pass away in office was Raisi. President Muhammad Ali Rajai was assassinated by a bomb in 1981 during the tumultuous days following the Islamic Revolution in his nation.

SOURCE – (AP)