“Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi dead in helicopter crash; Mohammad Mokhber now acting president,” AL.com, 5-20-24. Another loss to the Regime is the FM, Hossein Amirabdollahian, which will put a damper on their nuclear and proxies portfolio. The Quds Force is reeling for the moment. Remember, aircraft and helicopters in Iran have parts shortage, but NOT because of U.S. and Western sanctions—those are decisions the Regime makes. The Regime has plenty of money for want they want to spend on (i.e., proxies, drones, nuclear program, Hamas support), and most important because their own actions and support of terrorism earned them those sanctions. Stop being a pariah and a Shia Revolution, and act as a normal country, and those sanctions will be lifted. So in this article it is no surprise to hear “former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sought to blame the United States for the crash in an interview Monday. “One of the main culprits of yesterday’s tragedy is the United States, which … embargoed the sale of aircraft and aviation parts to Iran and does not allow the people of Iran to enjoy good aviation facilities,” Zarif said. “These will be recorded in the list of US crimes against the Iranian people.””
So, who is this interim president? “Iranian vice presidents are relatively low profile. But Mokhber has already caught the attention of the Biden administration for his role in supplying drones and missiles to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. In October 2022, Mokhber was one of a delegation of senior Iranian officials who traveled to Moscow to finalize a sale of Iranian drones and ballistic missiles to Moscow. U.S. officials have condemned Iran’s provision of arms to Russia, particularly the drones that Russia uses to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. A former member of the medical corps of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, Mokhber is a conservative politician with deep ties to the supreme leader, according to media reports. He held senior positions in Setad, a conglomerate controlled by Khamenei that was involved in efforts to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, as well as the Mostazafan Foundation, a charity also controlled by Khameni that is sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.” Setad and the Foundation have stolen from the people and minority groups. Mokhber doesn’t have clean hands. See “The one thing US fears after Iranian president’s death,” Politico, 5-20-24.
Correct statement. “President Raisi’s death a perilous moment for Iran regime – but don’t expect a change to foreign policy,” Sky News, 5-20-24.
“‘Protector of the resistance’: Iran’s allies, proxy terror groups mourn Raisi’s death,” Times of Israel, 5-20-24.
“The helicopter crashed because of a “technical failure,” the IRNA state news agency said.” Another disputed statement. See “What We Know About the Helicopter Crash That Killed Iran’s President,” NYT, 5-20-24. Also see this story for a striking picture of the Western dressed president and assistants from Azerbaijan who are wearing coat and ties, and the representatives from Iran who refuse to wear ties because they believe they are symbolic of the decadent West. Another striking aspect of this NYT story is that the NYT gave no credit to Turkey for its drone locating the crash site from its heat and passing the coordinates to the Iranian rescuers, who presumably would have continued searching for a day or two.
Turkey found the helicopter for Iran. “Turkey says helicopter carrying Iran’s Raisi did not emit transponder signal, adds Turkish drone used to find wreckage,” IntelliNews, 5-20-24.
“Why Iran Believes It’s Winning Against Israel,” FP, 5-20-24.
“Ali Bagheri-Kani, who has close family ties with Khamenei and previously led Iran’s delegation in nuclear talks with the West, was appointed acting foreign minister.” See “Iranian President, Foreign Minister Killed in Helicopter Crash,” WSJ, 5-20-24.