Also traveling on the aircraft was Foreign Minister and Governor of East Azerbaijan Province, in addition to 4 other crew members. Now, in the midst of political uncertainty, the country is preparing to elect the Raisi’s successor the next June 28th.
The report that rules out an attack
Preliminary investigations into the fatal helicopter crash in which President Ebrahim Raisi died have not found – so far – signs of an attack or some suspicious event. This was reported this Friday through the state media.
Raisi – considered a possible successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – died last Sunday after the incident. In addition to the President, the plane included the Minister of Foreign AffairsHossein Amir-Abdollahian, 60, the governor of East Azerbaijan provincethe region’s main imam, the president’s security chief and three members of the crew.
After finding the remains of the aircraft, and recovering the bodies of the passengers, the Iranian Army began the first investigation tasks to elucidate what happened. “No signs of gunshots or similar have been observed in the wreckage of the helicopter (which) crashed in a high altitude area and burst into flames“detailed the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Furthermore, according to the document, it was not observed “nothing suspicious in the control tower’s conversations with the flight crew“. As reported, more details will be released as the investigation progresses, because a large number of documents and evidence were collected about the accident that will lead to “more time” to examine.
On Tuesday the funeral ceremonies began for the head of state Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian. The events are expected to last for several days.
The elections in Iran
Raisi had been elected President on August 5, 2021 and was considered one of the favorites to succeed the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, 85 years old. “The president of the Iranian people, hardworking and tireless (…), has sacrificed his life for the nation,” the Government declared after his death.
Now, immersed in political uncertainty, the country is preparing to elect Raisi’s successor in the midst of an unstable context in the Middle East. The presidential elections will take place on next June 28.
Iranian state television reported that the electoral calendar was “approved at the meeting of the leaders of the judiciary, the government and Parliament“. Thus, they detailed that “according to the initial agreement of the Guardian Council, it was decided that The 14th presidential elections will be held on June 28“.
Source: Ambito
