Tehran council member calls for Raisi crash investigation
Mohammad Aghamiri, a Tehran City Council member and its Civil Committee chairman, said on Tuesday that speculation is rife about the circumstances surrounding President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash.
“There has been speculation that it may not have been an accident, so the security and military forces should investigate this issue,” Aghamiri stated.
State media presented numerous conflicting accounts in the immediate aftermath of the crash. This, along with the reported disregard for protocols—specifically issuing a permit during a weather amber warning—and Raisi’s significant role as the potential next Supreme Leader, has led to questions about whether this was merely an accident.
'Reformist' politician and MP Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the approval of Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter flight, citing adverse weather conditions.
Pezeshkian expressed surprise that a permit was issued despite warnings about poor weather prior to the crash.
The fatal helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi in Iran's remote western mountains occurred under heavy fog, which persisted for over 15 hours.
Narjes Soleimani, a Tehran City Council member and daughter of slain IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, has proposed renaming "Soleimani Highway" in Tehran in honor of Raisi.
An Iranian woman walks past a billboard with a picture of the late Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on a street in Tehran, Iran May 21, 2024.
The head of the Tehran City Council, Mehdi Chamran, rejected the proposal and said "an appropriate street" would be named after him. “[For] every martyr, there is a place.”
Tehran's east-west highway, previously called “Resalat,” was renamed Soleimani when the commander was killed in 2020 on the order of then-US President Donald Trump.
People walk past a billboard with a picture of the late Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on a street in Tehran, Iran May 21, 2024.
A video has surfaced on social media, purportedly showing a group of Gazans celebrating the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi while handing out sweets.
Hamas expressed its condolences on Monday for the sudden sdeath of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Gazans, however, told AFP on Monday that Raisi’s legacy is marred by his inaction regarding the Palestinian territory's problems.
“He never supported us, never kept his promises, never called for a ceasefire, and never stood by us. He does not concern us at all,” said Naji Khodeir, a Gazan resident.
“He means nothing to us and nothing to Gaza,” said ΒilalKhodary, a displaced Gazan.
Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel was hailed by Iran, which financially and militarily supports the militant group. However, Tehran denies any involvement in the attack that sparked an ongoing conflict that has resulted in more than 35,000 deaths.
A similar video shows people from Syria cheering Raisi's death.
Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian president who was killed in an air crash on May 19, 2024
Ebrahim Raisi was reportedly stripped of his potential successor status to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, months before his sudden death in a helicopter crash Sunday.
According to reports from Reuters, the Assembly of Experts decided six months ago to remove Raisi from the list of potential successors to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei amid concerns over Raisi's waning popularity, compounded by Iran's deepening economic crisis and international isolation.
His removal signifies a significant shift within the opaque corridors of power in Tehran, reflecting the complexities and secretive nature of Iran's theocratic leadership succession with Khamenei’s favored son among the favorites to succeed.
Vali Nasr, a professor at John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said: "Now they don't have a candidate, and that opens the door for other factions or other figures to emerge as serious contenders."
Raisi's presidency, which was initially seen as a stepping stone to the country's highest religious and political office, has instead culminated in a dramatic fall from grace. Critics and insiders alike noted that Raisi was a stalwart executor of Khamenei's hardline policies, particularly in suppressing dissent and tightening the regime's grip amid domestic and international pressures.
However, his inability to mitigate the economic hardships fueled by US sanctions and internal mismanagement eroded his standing.
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said Raisi’s death “could result in internal infighting in the regime unlike anything we have seen since the early 1980s."
Such instability could further expose the vulnerabilities of a regime already struggling with legitimacy issues, as evidenced by the historically low voter turnout in the last parliamentary elections. Official numbers claimed a roughly 40 percent turnout while others showed numbers as low as eight percent, reflective of the record lows seen in the 2021 presidential elections which ushered Raisi into power.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, commenting on the helicopter crash that killed President Raisi, said on Tuesday that US sanctions had worsened aviation safety.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi meets with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran, Iran, June 22, 2022.
On Monday, Mohammad Javad Zarif, former Foreign Minister of Iran, also blamed American sanctions on aviation parts for the crash.
"One of the culprits behind yesterday’s tragedy is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts," Zarif asserted.
