According to the news of Mehr News Agency and Reuters on the 20th, Iranian President Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian were killed in a helicopter accident on the 19th. What's new↓
Details of the crash of the Iranian president have been made public
"Died within minutes of a plane crash"
Iranian President Raisi attended the inauguration ceremony of a dam in Khoda Afarin County, East Azerbaijan Province, in northwestern Iran, which is adjacent to Azerbaijan, on the 19th, and then took a helicopter to Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan Province, to attend the inauguration ceremony of a petrochemical complex. The helicopter made an emergency landing in an accident on the way. The Iranian government confirmed on the 20th that Raisi was killed in a helicopter accident that occurred on the 19th. Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Province Rahmati and other senior officials and crew members of Raisi's entourage were also killed in the accident.
According to a report by the Russian news agency Sputnik on May 20, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pier Hossein Kolivand, said: "The passenger on the helicopter died within minutes of the crash. ”
"It took more than 40 minutes from the signal from the discovery of the helicopter's wreckage to the arrival of rescuers at the crash site," the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency reported, citing Kolivand. ”
Red Crescent rescuers found the wreckage of the helicopter at an altitude of 2,500 meters, and more than 2,000 people were involved in the search and rescue operation, he said. The helicopter was completely destroyed.
The cause of the crash is unknown
On the 20th, a reporter from CCTV interviewed Niu Xinchun, executive dean of the China Institute of Arab States Studies at Ningxia University, who said that it is not clear why he chose to take off in unfavorable weather, but because Iran's civil aviation is not too developed, the average age of Iranian civil airliners is 28 years, and they have a lot of mountainous areas, so helicopters are used more. Previously, according to Iranian media reports, Raisi was flying in an American-made Bell-212 helicopter. However, due to the sanctions imposed by the United States on the Iranian regime, it is difficult for the Iranian side to obtain parts for such helicopters, resulting in the inability to replace the old and damaged parts, which may also be a reason.
The Iranian government convened a cabinet meeting
The cause of the helicopter crash will be investigated
After Iranian President Raisi was killed in a helicopter accident, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that Iran would conduct five days of public mourning. The Cabinet of the Government of Iran also held a special session and issued a statement expressing condolences to the victims and assuring that the affairs of the State would not be disrupted.
In addition, according to a report by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency on the 20th, the chief of the general staff of the Iranian armed forces, Bagheri, has assigned a high-level delegation to investigate the cause of the helicopter crash.
Li Jiannan: Earlier, when we were filming a rally in Tehran, the capital of Iran, we found that many people were hiding their faces and crying, and said they were very sad and saddened by this unfortunate incident. According to my understanding in Iran, the Iranian stock market was temporarily closed on the 20th, the Iranian Football League was suspended this week, and all cultural and entertainment activities in Iran were temporarily canceled.
Li Jiannan: The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the passing of the victims will not affect Iran's diplomatic institutions in safeguarding national interests, nor will it affect Iran's continued role in regional and international affairs.
The Iranian government cabinet held a special meeting on the 20th, and at the same time the cabinet issued a statement saying that it will continue to follow the path of President Raisi and that the governance of the country will not be disturbed. In addition, with the approval of the Government's Cabinet, Ali Bagheri, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, became Acting Foreign Minister.
CRI: At present, the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has led the establishment of a high-level investigation team, including experts, which has arrived at the scene of the incident and will investigate the cause of the helicopter accident.
Iran's main energy
will be invested in the peaceful transition of power in the country
Niu Xinchun believes that in the next two or three months, Iran's main energy and time will be devoted to the peaceful transition of domestic power, so Iran's time and energy may be reduced in the Middle East situation. Iran's political stability and continuity far outweigh its unpredictability.
According to Iran's Mehr News Agency on the 20th, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the bodies of the victims of the wrecked helicopter in which the Iranian president and others were traveling were transferred to the cemetery in Tabriz after sorting and cleaning. The search for the remains has now been completed.
Niu Xinchun said that according to the provisions of the Iranian Constitution, in the event of the death of the president, with the approval of the supreme leader, the first vice president will assume the powers and functions of the president, and it is also clear that the committee composed of the speaker of the Islamic Parliament of Iran is obliged to arrange the election of a new president within a maximum of 50 days.
The Iranian government issued a statement on the 20th, saying that after Iranian President Raisi was killed in the helicopter accident, the Iranian government will continue to operate and "will not be disturbed." According to the Iranian Student News Agency, Iran's first vice president, Mohber, will serve as president for the next 50 days until the special committee organizes elections for a new president.
Iran's vice president announces arrangements for Raisi's funeral
On May 20, local time, Iranian Vice President Mansoori said that a farewell ceremony for Raisi's body would be held in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province on the morning of the 21st local time. On the afternoon of the 21st, a farewell ceremony for Raisi's body will be held in Qom City, Qom Province, Iran. On the 22nd, a memorial ceremony will be held in Tehran, after which Raisi's body will be transferred to Mashhad, and a funeral will be held in Mashhad on the 23rd.
In addition, on the 20th local time, a committee composed of Iranian First Vice President Muhber, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and the Iranian Attorney General held a meeting and made arrangements for the Iranian presidential election. The commission announced that the registration of presidential candidates will take place from May 30 to June 3, that the election campaign will take place from June 12 to June 27, and that the presidential election will be held on June 28.
CNR