KBC Channel 1

Tag: President Ebrahim Raisi

  • Iran declares five days of mourning for President and Foreign Minister

    Iran declares five days of mourning for President and Foreign Minister

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced five days of mourning following the death of the country’s President, Ebrahim Raisi.

    Mr Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of north-western Iran, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

    State media confirmed they were killed after the helicopter they were travelling in came down on Sunday.

    Ayatollah Khamenei said he offered his condolences “to the dear people of Iran”.

    Mr Raisi, 63, had been tipped as a potential successor to the supreme leader.

    Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed to assume interim duties after the death of the president.

    Mr Mokhber will work with the heads of Iran’s legislature and judiciary to prepare for a presidential election within 50 days – a period of time set out in Iran’s constitution for replacing a president who dies in office.

    Iran’s cabinet has also appointed deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani as acting foreign minister.

    It was initially reported that the helicopter carrying the men and their entourage had made a hard landing in foggy conditions.

    The area where the aircraft came down is close to the border with Azerbaijan, where Mr Raisi had been meeting President Ilham Aliyev.

    According to local media he was there to open the Qiz Qalasi and Khodaafarin dams.

    On Monday, the Iranian Red Crescent confirmed the bodies of the president and others who died in the crash had been recovered and search operations had ended.

    “We are in the process of transferring the bodies of the martyrs to Tabriz [in Iran’s north-west],” the organisation’s chief said on state TV.

    Iranian news outlet Tasnim, which is affiliated to the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, reported that President Ebrahim Raisi’s funeral will be held on Tuesday in Tabriz.

    Mr Raisi, 63, was a hard-line cleric and his election as president in 2021 consolidated the control of conservatives over every part of the Islamic Republic.

    In a statement following his death, the Iranian government said it would continue to operate “without disruption”.

    A number of countries have expressed their condolences following President Raisi’s death.

    Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a national day of mourning and described Mr Raisi and Mr Amir-Abdollahian as “good friends of Iran”.

    Writing on social media, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the deaths.

    Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government was “in full contact and co-ordination with the Iranian authorities” and was ready to “provide any necessary support”.

    Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his condolences and said the president and foreign minister were “true, reliable friends of our country”, while China’s President Xi Jinping said Mr Raisi had contributed to Iran’s security and stability.

    The EU on Monday expressed its “sincere condolences” and European Council President Charles Michel said “our thoughts go to the families”.

    Hamas praised Mr Raisi’s support of the Palestinian group, while the Tehran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon said it was mourning the death of its protector.

  • Ruto, Mudavadi, Raila convey condolences over the death of Iran’s President

    Ruto, Mudavadi, Raila convey condolences over the death of Iran’s President

    President William Ruto has expressed his condolences to Iran on the passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, who perished in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

    Ruto described President Raisi as a fearless leader and dedicated public servant with a long and distinguished career in public service.

    “In light of the tragic news of the passing of H.E. Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Foreign Minister, H.E. Hossein Abdollahian and his entourage of senior officials through a helicopter crash, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the people of Iran at this challenging time,” said Ruto.

    “He was a firm leader committed to the causes that he believed in and sought to elevate Iran’s standing on the global stage,” he added.

    In a message to Ali Bagheri, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran,  Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi eulogised his colleague, Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who perished alongside President Raisi and seven other people.

    “On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Kenya, the staff of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, and on my own behalf, I would like to convey my deepest condolences to Your Excellency and, through you, to the bereaved families and friends of the deceased leaders, and indeed to the people of Iran,” Mudavadi said.

    “He will always be remembered for his tireless devotion and dedication to his fellow countrymen and to the cause of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.

    Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga said President Raisi’s death comes at a trying and uncertain moment for Iran, with the country navigating heightened tensions in the Middle East.

    “I have faith that the Iran’s traditions and strong institutions will withstand the shock and overcome the loss. Kenya had the pleasure of hosting H.E Raisi only recently and I regarded him as a good friend of Kenya and a great supporter of Africa. May his soul rest in peace.”

  • World leaders mourn the passing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

    World leaders mourn the passing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

    Tributes have poured in from across the globe for Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi after his death was announced early on Monday.

    Raisi, aged 63, was confirmed dead this morning following a helicopter crash on Sunday.

    Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was also killed in the crash, along with several others.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I am deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening the India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.”

    Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that his country will observe a day of mourning, and the national flag will fly at half-mast.

    “I, along with the government and people of Pakistan, extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the Iranian nation on this terrible loss. May the martyred souls rest in heavenly peace,” stated Prime Minister Sharif.

    “Pakistan had the pleasure of hosting President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on a historic visit less than a month ago. They were good friends of Pakistan. Pakistan will observe a day of mourning, and the flag will fly at half-mast as a mark of respect for President Raisi and his companions,” he added.

    The President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said, “I extend my deepest condolences to the Iranian government and people over the passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and those accompanying them following a tragic accident. We pray that God grants them eternal rest, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to their families. The UAE stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time.”

    President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela hailed President Raisi as an unconditional friend and defender of his people.

    “I am shocked by the sad news about the physical loss of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi. Cilia, who is a friend of his wife, and I are deeply saddened to bid farewell to such an exemplary person, an extraordinary world leader, our brother Ebrahim, an excellent human being, defender of the sovereignty of his people, and an unconditional friend of our country.”

    President William Ruto described Raisi as a fearless leader and a dedicated public servant with a long and distinguished career in public service.

    “He was a firm leader committed to the causes that he believed in and sought to elevate Iran’s standing on the global stage.”

  • Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi killed in helicopter crash

    Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi killed in helicopter crash

    Iran President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian have been confirmed dead.

    The Iranian President died along with seven others in a helicopter crash that came down in bad weather in the North Western Iran, state TV says.

    Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was also killed in Sunday’s crash, along with several others

    The helicopter, one of three travelling in a convoy, crashed after it got into difficulties in heavy fog in the north of the country.

    Raisi was heading to the city of Tabriz, in the north west of Iran, after returning from an Iran-Azerbaijan border area, according to local media.

    According to Iran State News Agency, also on board were Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem, the imam for Friday prayers in the city of Tabriz, and General Malek Rahmati, the governor of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.

    The commander of the president’s protection unit, Sardar Seyed Mehdi Mousavi, was also killed, as were a number of bodyguards and helicopter crew who have not yet been named.

    President Raisi a hardline cleric close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was born in 1960 in Mashhad, home to Iran’s holiest Shia Muslim shrine.

    He took part in protests against the Western-backed Shah, who was toppled in 1979, while a student and went on to become the deputy prosecutor in Tehran at just 25.

    Raisi succeeded Hassan Rouhani as president in 2021 after a poll which saw many prominent moderate and reformist candidates barred and the majority of voters stay away.

    He was being seen as one who would have one day succeeded Ayatollah Khamenei as Supreme Leader.

  • Helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashes

    Helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashes

    A helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has been involved in an accident, state media reports.

    Reports say the helicopter – one of three travelling in a convoy – made a “hard landing” after it got into difficulties in heavy fog in the north of the country

    Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said rescuers were still trying to reach the site due to the difficult weather conditions

    Raisi was heading to the city of Tabriz, in the northwest of Iran, after returning from an Iran-Azerbaijan border area.

    The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises.

    Iran’s clerical rulers face international pressure over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme and its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.

    Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

    In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is Raisi’s 85-year-old mentor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader since 1989, who has the final say on all major policies.

    Developing story