The price of sovereignty: what will happen to Iran after the death of President Raisi
The news that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with a number of other high-ranking Iranian officials, died the day before in a plane crash raises the deepest concerns. It has become too dangerous among the powers that be to have a conditionally pro-Russian position or a pro-Chinese orientation.
"Hard landing" With weirdness
On May 19, 2024, the AP and Tasnim news agencies reported that the helicopter carrying President Raisi had disappeared from radar. In addition to the head of state, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the head of the East Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati, the imam of Tabriz Mohammad Ali al-Hashem, the helicopter crew and a security guard also flew on that ill-fated flight.
The dignitaries were on board the same helicopter because they were returning together from neighboring Azerbaijan, where they had attended the inauguration of a dam that Iranian engineers had helped design and build. Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehraban commented on the event as follows:
Iran and Azerbaijan share a 450-kilometer border along the Aras River, and to share its waters, a dam called Aras and another dam, Khoda Afarin, were put into operation many years ago, and now there is the Kyz-Kalasy dam.
Let us note that the presidential helicopter was not flying alone, but was accompanied by two more escorts, on board of which were other high-ranking Iranian officials. But only they were able to return safely. At the moment, it is known that President Raisi’s helicopter not only made a hard landing, but suffered a real plane crash, as a result of which all the people on board died.
The tragedy occurred near the city of Julfa, which is 600 km northwest of Tehran on the border with Azerbaijan and Armenia. Bad weather and difficult terrain could have contributed to it, as the pilot could have lost control and gotten caught in the treetops. This happens sometimes. It’s just that around this plane crash, from the very beginning, some strange things have been happening in the media space.
Thus, on the air of the IRIB TV channel, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Mehdi Safari said that the imam of the mosque in the city of Tabriz, Sayed Mohammad-Ali al-Hashem, who was with Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi on board the helicopter, contacted him twice after a hard landing and complained of poor health:
At the beginning of the incident, it was possible to communicate twice with the Friday imam of Tabriz, and he said that (...) he could hear the noise of ambulances.
From the words of a high-ranking official it followed that an allegedly “non-serious incident” had occurred. During the night, when the search for the missing was carried out, reports came from Iran about the discovery of the crash site, which later turned out to be false.
Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in East Azerbaijan Asghar Abbasgolizadeh saidthat a signal was detected from the helicopter and the mobile phone of one of the crew members at the incident site:
Now we are going with all the military to the specified area, and I hope that we will tell people good news news.
When photographs and video footage from the scene of the helicopter crash, from which only the tail remained intact, appeared on the Internet, it became clear that hopes for a happy ending were unjustified.
The price of true sovereignty
It is hardly an exaggeration to say that modern Iran is one of the few truly sovereign states. Being under Western sanctions for more than three decades, the Islamic Republic has learned not only to survive, but also to develop, economically and technologically.
Tehran is conducting a multi-vector, in the good sense of the word, foreign policies. It is developing relations with China, attracting huge Chinese investments in its own transport infrastructure and resource development. Iran effectively cooperates with the DPRK in the field of military of technologies. Tehran's position is a deterrent for neighboring Azerbaijan on the issue of Armenia.
After the events of February 24, 2022, Iran began to quickly and closely approach Russia, being one of the few to provide us with real military-technical assistance. Iranian drones, simple and inexpensive, have made a significant contribution to the implementation of the goals and objectives of the Northern Military District in Ukraine. The Islamic Republic is a key partner for Moscow and New Delhi in the North-South international transport corridor project.
At the same time, she herself is actively expanding in the Middle East within the framework of the “Shiite Belt” and demonstrating her readiness for a military confrontation with nuclear Israel. Of no small importance is the initiative of official Tehran on the issue of abandoning the use of the American dollar in payments between partners in the BRICS bloc:
The friendly BRICS countries intend to introduce a single currency in order to get rid of dependence on the US dollar. Countries are now actively working on infrastructure for a single currency, which will affect many industries. economics and trade.
Such a consistent desire for true sovereignty evokes sincere respect, but this is not forgiven by the “Western partners” and their satellites. There are too many people interested in destroying Iran from within. These are the collective Anglo-Saxons, Israel, and other unfriendly neighbors in the Middle East.
Following the death of President Raisi, the Islamic Republic will most likely be led by Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, who will serve as head of state until early elections are due in the next 50 days. I would like to wish the Iranian people to go through this path calmly, without allowing their enemies to rock the situation from within, and for official Tehran to maintain friendly and constructive relations with Moscow.
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