On May 20th, Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, and their Foreign Minister, Hossein Amiradollahian, were found dead in a helicopter crash. All of the eight people on the helicopter died, three of them being crew members. The helicopter also had other officials, one being a mayor. It is still not known for sure what caused the crash, but it is suspected that it could’ve been because of helicopter parts being hard to find, the age of the helicopter, or, most likely, the foggy weather. Raisi died at 63 years old, and he had served about three years of his four year term.
When the helicopter, a bell 212, lost contact, Turkey said they didn’t detect a signal; they contacted Iran and found that the signal system had been turned off, or the aircraft didn’t have one. They didn’t find anything suspicious about the conversations with the flight crew or any signs of gunshots, so foul play is not suspected. Iran is known for not having the best history with aircraft; there have been multiple crashes, most on old aircrafts. Tehran has said that they haven’t been able to get new aircraft or parts because the U.S. sanctions have restrained them from doing so.
Officials say that Raisi’s death won’t change the way the government handles things, such as Tehran’s conflict with the U.S. or their support of Hamas and other groups. Leaders and presidents from other countries have given their condolences- Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un have called him a friend and a great leader. People believed that there was a possibility that Raisi was going to become the Supreme Leader; the current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, did not like most presidents, but he was close with Raisi, and he might have his son run for president. The election will be on June 28th.
The funeral took place at Raisi’s hometown, the city of Mashhad, where he was buried there at the shrine of Imam Reza. There were large crowds, thousands marched, and some held flags or pictures of Raisi. Some public officials have paid their respects, such as the leader of Hamas and Hezbollah, both meeting with the Supreme Leader. Raisi’s death was a big loss for Iran, and he will be missed.
