Iran launches probe into Presidential crash

AFP | Tehran

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Iran’s military chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri ordered yesterday a probe into the cause of a helicopter crash that killed president Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage.

Bagheri ordered “a high-ranking committee to launch an investigation into the cause of the president’s helicopter crash” that took place on Sunday, the ISNA news agency reported.

Iranians yesterday mourned the death of Raisi whose helicopter crashed into a fog-shrouded mountain, setting off a period of political uncertainty in the Islamic republic.

Raisi, 63, his foreign minister and seven others died when the aircraft went down on Sunday in a remote area of northwestern Iran, where the wreckage was only found yesterday morning.

Turbulent time

The ultraconservative Raisi had been in office since 2021, a turbulent time during which Iran was rocked by mass protests, an economic crisis deepened by US sanctions, and armed exchanges with arch-enemy Israel.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate power in Iran, declared five days of mourning and said vice president Mohammad Mokhber, 68, would assume interim presidential duties until elections are held within 50 days.

State media reported yesterday that the elections would be held on June 28.