Russia's Lavrov blames US for Raisi’s chopper crash
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.
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said at President Ebrahim Raisi's funeral ceremony in Tabriz that "in any other country, this incident would have a very dark future, but with the supreme eader's presence and the peace he conveyed in his message, we will easily handle these issues."
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi during President Ebrahim Raisi's funeral ceremony in Tabriz, East Azarbaijan province, May 21, 2024
In the hours leading up to the announcement of Raisi’s death, Khamenei's remarks about him and the future of the country without his presidency had already caught the attention of analysts.
They compared the lack of warmth in his tone while talking about Raisi as opposed to a similar situation in 2020 when he was sobbing over the death of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Qasem Soleimani, who was killed on the order of then-US President Donald Trump.
Two unnamed sources told Reuters that Raisi was removed from the Assembly of Experts' list of potential successors six months ago due to his declining popularity amid Iran's economic crisis. The country's soaring inflation rate and the freefall of the national currency, the rial, reportedly contributed to his removal.
The Supreme Leader is appointed by an 88-member Assembly of Experts.
One insider, however, told Reuters that influential pro-Raisi clerics had launched a vigorous campaign to reinstate his name.
According to Iran experts, Ebrahim Raisi, the Assembly's former deputy chairman, was the most likely candidate for the post of chairman, which could have significantly influenced his selection of the Supreme Leader.
Shaghayegh Mohammadi, the wife of Esteghlal FC player Mohammad Hossein Moradmand, reported receiving a call and threat from authorities after posting a poem on Instagram, implicitly celebrating Raisi’s death.
The poem, written by prominent 14th-century poet Hafez, read "Let us rejoice that the cruel battle is ending."
In another story, Mohammadi wrote "I have no wish for anything except freedom, which belongs to all human beings."
Politician and cleric Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani has been elected as head of the Assembly of Experts, deepening the control of hard-line conservative rule in Iran.
The election occurred during the inaugural ceremony of the assembly's sixth term, attended by 83 members, 55 of whom voted for Kermani, signaling a clear continuity of hardline governance.
Known for his role as Tehran’s Friday Prayer Ephemeral Imam and former secretary-general of the Combatant Clergy Association, he succeeds Ahmad Jannati, a centenarian cleric.
The election for the body which appoints the supreme leader comes at a critical juncture as 84-year-old Ali Khamenei's health prompts speculations about his succession.
With the sudden death of Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on Sunday, the role of the Assembly of Experts, responsible for selecting the next Supreme Leader, gains critical importance as Raisi was viewed by many as a likely successor.
However, the integrity of the electoral process is under scrutiny due to recent electoral manipulations that saw a sharp reduction in candidate eligibility.
In a move that has raised eyebrows internationally, key political figures with potentially sensitive insider information were barred from running. Former President Hassan Rouhani and three former intelligence ministers, Ali Fallahian, Haider Moslehi, and Mahmoud Alavi were disqualified.
Such exclusions by the Guardian Council, which also disqualified 366 out of 510 clerical candidates, have sparked accusations of engineered election outcomes aimed at ensuring a hardliner succession that could further tighten the ideological grip on Iran.
Critics argue that such actions depict a regime fearful of any potential dissent or deviation from the supreme doctrinal line, especially at a time when public discontent is simmering over the economic crisis and brutal social restrictions.
Funeral ceremonies for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi commenced this morning in Tabriz, East Azarbaijan province. Their bodies will be flown later in the day to the central Iranian city of Qom, home to one of the revered shrines and religious seminaries where Raisi studied.
A scene of the funeral ceremony for late president Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation, Tabriz, East Azarbaijan province, May 21, 2024
Following the second funeral in Qom, they will be brought to the capital Tehran, where Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is expected to lead congregational funeral prayers for them. The Grand Mosalla Mosque in Tehran will host a "farewell" ceremony on Tuesday night.
On Thursday, according to the itinerary, Raisi will be taken to his hometown of Mashhad for burial at the revered shrine of Imam Reza. There will be another ceremony in Birjand in South Khorasan province before Raisi is laid to rest in Mashhad.
A scene of the funeral ceremony for late president Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation, Tabriz, East Azarbaijan province, May 21, 2024
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared five days of national mourning following the president's death.
A national holiday has also been declared for Wednesday.
