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Iranian President and Foreign Minister killed in helicopter crash
The helicopter suffered what was initially described as a hard landing in a mountainous region in blizzard conditions. It took a long time for rescuers to reach the site, and when they arrived it was obviously a 'no survivor' situation.
The president, Ebrahim Raisi, was a hardliner and introduced stronger Islamification in the country after he became president, including the crackdown on women. He was seen as a possible successor to the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that role being responsible for, among other things, foreign policy and the nuclear program. The current Ayatollah, is 85 and many rumors swirl about his health.
The initial reports that I saw last night before going to bed were spotty. The rescue crews had not gotten to the site yet and it was speculated that more cabinet officials were on-board the helicopters. Fortunately for their government, that was not the case.
The VP has now been to Prez, and elections must be held within 50 days according to law. Interestingly, parliamentary elections were held just in March and had record low voter turnout, so this could be an interesting election. A lot of the population want a more liberal/Western society, the world will be watching.
Yes, there's going to be speculation that the Israelis are responsible, that they targeted the helicopter with GPS spoofing or some such. I'll offer two arguments against it. First, the President is not the Supreme Leader and doesn't hold as many levers of power as the title might suggest. Second, the Iranian Air Force, which includes the helicopters, is kinda frozen in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution kicked the Shah out of the country. The chopper that crashed was an antique and it's a wonder it worked at all. Flying in horrible weather was a mistake, and in this case, a fatal one.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dd99jgl09o
The president, Ebrahim Raisi, was a hardliner and introduced stronger Islamification in the country after he became president, including the crackdown on women. He was seen as a possible successor to the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that role being responsible for, among other things, foreign policy and the nuclear program. The current Ayatollah, is 85 and many rumors swirl about his health.
The initial reports that I saw last night before going to bed were spotty. The rescue crews had not gotten to the site yet and it was speculated that more cabinet officials were on-board the helicopters. Fortunately for their government, that was not the case.
The VP has now been to Prez, and elections must be held within 50 days according to law. Interestingly, parliamentary elections were held just in March and had record low voter turnout, so this could be an interesting election. A lot of the population want a more liberal/Western society, the world will be watching.
Yes, there's going to be speculation that the Israelis are responsible, that they targeted the helicopter with GPS spoofing or some such. I'll offer two arguments against it. First, the President is not the Supreme Leader and doesn't hold as many levers of power as the title might suggest. Second, the Iranian Air Force, which includes the helicopters, is kinda frozen in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution kicked the Shah out of the country. The chopper that crashed was an antique and it's a wonder it worked at all. Flying in horrible weather was a mistake, and in this case, a fatal one.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dd99jgl09o
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That answers my question. I couldn't remember where he stood in the power structure.
I see Israel has already stated they weren't involved.
Not that they would say anything different I assume. :p
Hugs, Jon
no subject