Ayatollah Khamenei mourned the ‘martyrdom’ of President Raisi; meanwhile, videos appeared on social media of Iranians celebrating the death of the man once known as the ‘Butcher of Tehran’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared that the country will observe five days of national mourning, following the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and two others on Sunday.
The Ayatollah expressed his condolences for the “martyrdom” of the president and his three companions, after the helicopter they were traveling on crashed in the mountains of East Azerbaijan province.
Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on state television that the United States was “one of the main culprits” in the crash that killed Raisi, citing American sanctions affecting aviation. Iran, which has long been subject to sanctions that make it difficult to maintain its aging fleet of helicopters.
Meanwhile, an Israeli official confirmed to Reuters news agency that the country was “not involved” in the helicopter crash. Though no official cause for the accident has been given, Raisi had been aboard a convoy of 3 helicopters that was flying through inclement weather of rain and fog.
Iran’s vice president Mohamad Mokhbar has been confirmed as acting president until new elections are organized within the next fifty days. Iran’s official state media also confirmed that the deputy foreign minister Ali Bakri Khani will fill the post left by Amir-Abdollahian.
Khani, who has been deputy foreign minister since Raisi’s administration took office in 2021, was the deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013 and currently serves as an advisor to the council. The seasoned diplomat was the lead negotiator in mediating a prisoner release deal between Iran and the United States in the September 2023.
Meanwhile, condolences poured in from across the Muslim world on Monday.
Lebanon declared three days of mourning. Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian had been scheduled to visit the country this coming Thursday. Pakistan also declared one day of national mourning, with the Pakistani prime minister saying the president and foreign minister had been “good friends” of the country.
The Hamas terror group issued a written statement saying it sent its “deepest condolences” and stood in solidarity with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Iranian government and its citizens.
“These leaders also had positions supporting the Palestinian issue, supported the legitimate struggle of the Palestinians against the Zionist entity, provided assistance to the Palestinian resistance, expressed solidarity and support in all forums for the residents of the Gaza Strip in light of the war and invested many political and diplomatic efforts to stop the Zionist aggression against the Palestinians,” the statement read.
King Abdullah II of Jordan posted on X, “We express our sympathy with the brothers in Iran in this difficult situation.” The Emir of Qatar, Tamim Ben Hamed, also posted his condolences on the social media platform, as well as Turkey’s President Erdogan.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry posted a statement on behalf of the Foreign Minister expressing his sorrow over the “terrible” helicopter accident. The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that President Xi had expressed his condolences. China brokered a surprise rapprochement between Iran and neighboring power Saudi Arabia in March 2023.
Russian president Vladimir Putin also expressed his condolences, saying Raisi made an “invaluable contribution to Russia-Iran relations,” according to the Kremlin. The two countries have worked together to skirt international sanctions, and with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Moscow and Tehran deepened their military cooperation. Iran’s new acting president was part of a delegation that visited Moscow last October to secure a deal to provide more drones and surface-to-surface missiles to the country.
But not all are mourning the death of the man nicknamed the “Butcher of Tehran.” The 63-year-old hardline cleric became president in 2021 after elections which saw the lowest voter turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Though he never outright confirmed his role in sentencing thousands of political prisoners to death in the late 1980s, Raisi was a member of the secret tribunal, and he defended its actions on the basis of a religious decree issued by the Ayatollah.
Iranians uploaded videos to social media overnight depicting festive scenes in Tehran. Fireworks were set off and joyful chanting heard, celebrations which were not stifled despite a heavy deployment of police in the capital.
Others celebrated inside their homes, posting videos of themselves opening champagne and preparing lavish meals. One woman who claims to have been injured the anti-government protests that broke out following the death of Mahsa Amini, posted a video of herself dancing in a tank top and not wearing a hijab.
Yet thousands of regime supporters also spent the night on the streets of Tehran, praying for the health and safety of the president. Following the confirmation of his death, prayers were held in the memory of the leader.
Source: i24news
