Ebrahim #Raisi stood close to the pinnacle of power in the Islamic Republic and was widely tipped to rise to its very top
A dramatic turn dealt him a different hand
His death in a helicopter crash on Sunday has upended the growing speculation over who will eventually replace the 85-year-old Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei, whose own health has long been the focus of intense interest ⏩
Turkish UAV identifies source of heat suspected to be wreckage of helicopter carrying Iranian dictator Raisi and shares its coordinates with Iranian authorities. The turkish drone is on site and has a live video feed of the crash site. Drone on site flying over Iran’s northwest region.
News reports have said seventy three rescue teams were in route to the site. Crash site about 100km (62 miles) from the city of Tabriz, near a village called Tavil.
He said rescue teams on foot with SR dogs are trying to reach the area now. Earlier reports from the iranian regime: there was contact with two persons who were on the helicopter.
The team will arrive shortly. Live video taken at 5:35 am local Iran time / 7:05pm pacific time.
No survivors.
Once I have the flight profile data will update with crash assessment. Yes, I'm a helicopter pilot.
A helicopter carrying President #EbrahimRaisi of #Iran & his foreign minister crashed on Sunday in the country’s mountainous northwest, acc/to state media, deepening the turmoil that has gripped the nation on both the international & domestic fronts in recent months.
#Raisi, 63, was traveling from Iran’s border w/ Azerbaijan to inaugurate a joint dam project.
The helicopter, carrying #Raisi & #Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir #Abdollahian, state media reported, crashed near the city of Varzaghan around 1PM local time, in bad weather & thick fog.
Search & rescue teams scoured an area of tall mountains & dense forest through rain & fog for >10 hrs. At one point the authorities called off the aerial search because of the weather, dispatching on foot soldiers, elite commandos of the Revolutionary Guards & 40 rescue teams….
Even well into the night, state media had not yet reported on casualties, or on the condition of the president or anyone else aboard. The cause of the crash was also unknown.
“There will be no disruption in the country’s operation,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei said in an address on state TV. “Senior officials are doing their work & I have advised them on the necessary points & all of the country’s operation will carry on smoothly & orderly.”
#Raisi, a conservative who violently crushed dissent is widely viewed as a possible successor to the SupremeLeader. The uncertainty over his fate comes during a particularly tumultuous period for #Iran.
Its long shadow war w/ #Israel burst into the open after #Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, setting off the war in #Gaza & a cascade of strikes & counterstrikes across the region.
#Raisi is a hard-line religious cleric who came of age during the #Islamic revolution. Under #Iran’s #theocracy, Raisi, as president, is the 2nd most powerful individual in Iran’s #political structure after… #Khamenei.
After becoming president in 2021, Raisi consolidated power & marginalized reformists who wanted to defuse tensions w/the #West. He repeatedly said he pursued a policy of “strong diplomacy,” forging closer #economic & #security ties w/ #Russia & #China.
…#Raisi oversaw a sweeping & deadly crackdown on domestic #protesters, many of them #women & young people, who took to the streets against the country’s ruling clerics. #Rights groups said hundreds of protesters were killed by Iran’s security forces.
Raisi has been viewed as one of the front-runners to succeed #Khamenei as supreme leader. One of his main rivals for that role is #Khamene’s son.
Despite the crash, some analysts said they did not expect a major change in #Iran’s agenda abroad.
40 Rapid Response Teams Deployed in Area: #IRCS Chief
The head of #Iranian Red Crescent Society Pir Hossein Kolivand stated that 40 rapid response teams from the #IRCS are currently conducting search operations in the location where accident happened for the helicopter carrying President #Raisi and his companions ⏩
Rescue workers still searching for wreckage of an #Iran helicopter carrying President Ebrahim #Raisi & Foreign Minister Hossein Amir #Abdollahian — both of whom are feared dead.
Hugely consequential news if confirmed, including for Khamenei’s succession.
The #RevolutionaryGuards and others now need to make a lot of preparations for a likely insurgency...before the news before Raisi's death could be admitted.
#FarhanHaq, a #UN spokesperson, said the new smaller numbers reflected those bodies which had been fully identified. The bigger figures included corpses for whom identification has so far not been completed.
The crash comes as the #MiddleEast remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which #Raisi under Supreme Leader Ayatollah #AliKhamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on #Israel just last month.
Raisi, 63, a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary, was viewed as a protégé of Khamenei and even as a possible successor.