Brussels, 20 May 2024
Statement by EU High Representative Borrell on the death of President Raisi
The EU expresses its sympathies to the families of all the victims and to the Iranian citizens affected.
Source – EEAS
Russian President: Condolences over the death of President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi
Moscow, 20 May 2024
Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.
The message from the Russian President reads, in part:
“Please accept our deepest condolences in connection with the great tragedy that befell the Islamic Republic of Iran – a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and several other prominent government leaders of your country.
Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was devoted to serving his Motherland. He enjoyed the well-deserved respect of his compatriots and high prestige beyond his country. As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good neighbourly relations between our countries and made great efforts to advance them to the level of strategic partnership.
I have had the privilege of meeting Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on multiple occasions, and I will always cherish the fond memories of this wonderful man. Please convey my heartfelt condolences and support to the family and friends of the late President, as well as to all those affected by this tragic incident. I extend my wishes for strength to the Iranian people as they navigate through this challenging and irreparable loss.”
Source – The Russian Kremlin – Condolences over the death of President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin expressed condolences to the First Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Mokhber in connection with the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
20 May 2024 13:15
The telegram reads, in part:
“On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation and on my own behalf, I express to you my deep condolences in connection with the tragic death of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Excellency Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, and the officials accompanying him as a result of a helicopter crash.
This is a big loss for Iran. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi devoted his entire life to selfless service to the Iranian state.
I would like to especially note the great personal contribution of Ebrahim Raisi to strengthening friendly and good-neighborly Russian-Iranian relations in the spirit of strategic partnership. We share our grief and pain at this bereavement.”
Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin
Source – Russian Government (translated by Google Translate)
Background published by the Iran Update – 19 May 2024 – ISW Institute for the Study of War
May 19, 2024
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian crashed near Uzi, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, on May 19.[1]
[On May 19, 2024], it remains unclear at the time of this writing whether Raisi and Abdollahian survived the crash.
First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would temporarily serve as president if Raisi died in the crash, according to the Iranian constitution.[2] Mokhber, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei would then have 50 days to organize a presidential election.[3]
Mokhber previously served as the head of the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO)—a parastatal organization directly controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—between 2007 and 2021.[4] The US Treasury Department sanctioned Mokhber and the EIKO in January 2021.[5] Mokhber also previously served as the chairman of the US-sanctioned Sina Bank and as the Mostazafan Foundation’s vice president for commerce and transportation.[6] The US Treasury Department sanctioned Sina Bank in October 2018 for financially supporting the Basij—a paramilitary organization responsible for civil defense and social control in Iran—and sanctioned the Mostazafan Foundation in November 2020.[7]
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wields ultimate decision-making authority in Iran, but Raisi still holds significant power within the regime.
Raisi was the deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, a regime entity constitutionally responsible for monitoring the supreme leader and selecting his successor.[8] Iranians re-elected Raisi to serve as a representative of South Khorasan Province in the Assembly of Experts during the recent March 2024 Assembly of Experts elections.[9] Raisi also holds numerous ex officio positions. He is a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and the chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, and Supreme Cyber Space Council.
Raisi’s death would have serious implications for supreme leader succession.
Raisi was considered one of the top contenders—along with Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei—to succeed Khamenei as supreme leader. Khamenei appointed Raisi to the position of judiciary chief in 2019 and endorsed Raisi during the August 2021 presidential elections.[10] The next several days have the potential to reshape the immediate and long-term dynamics of the regime, including supreme leader succession. Raisi’s death would ultimately not change the regime’s current trajectory toward more hardline and conservative domestic policies and more aggressive regional policies, however.
Source – Institute for the Study of War