VOA – Iran’s Islamist rulers have begun cracking down on expressions of happiness by their opponents over President Ebrahim Raisi’s death Sunday in a helicopter crash. Raisi and other senior officials died when their helicopter crashed in bad weather in East Azerbaijan province while flying back to Iran from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah …
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Old Guard Cleric Takes over Iran’s Succession Body Under Looming Uncertainty
iranintl – Members of the Assembly of Experts, a body tasked with choosing the Islamic Republic’s next supreme leader elected senior cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani as the Assembly’s chairman on Tuesday. Before his death in a helicopter crash on Sunday, former President Ebrahim Raisi was the most likely candidate for the post. Following his death, the Assembly, and …
Read More »Anger and Disbelief at US ‘Official’ Condolences for Raisi
iranintl – The Biden administration’s message of sympathy for the death of Ebrahim Raisi sparked harsh criticism from US lawmakers and some Iranian-American activists who called the gesture a “slap” on the face of the late-president’s victims. In a brief statement delivered by the State Department’s spokesman Matthew Miller Monday afternoon, the US government expressed “official condolences” for Raisi’s death alongside his …
Read More »Western Leaders’ Responses to Raisi’s Death Ignite Backlash
iranintl – Following the news of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian’s deaths, messages of condolence quickly poured in from some predictable corner of the world. Among them were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Backlash, however, erupted over the reactions from several EU officials and a NATO spokesperson. On …
Read More »Iranians Point Fingers at Leader’s Son After Raisi’s Death
iranintl – Iranians flooded social media platforms with jokes and speculations about the circumstances and the cause of the air-crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi, many pointing fingers at Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader’s son. Mojtaba is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed his 85-year old father. The premise of, and the main theme running through, most such posts …
Read More »Analysts Discuss What Could Happen Next in Iran?
iranintl – As Iran watchers and analysts rush to predict the next chapter of the Islamic Republic’s rule – many takes are emerging following the deadly helicopter crash that took the life of the country’s President. Ebrahim Raisi, along with the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, was traveling in a helicopter, when it crashed in a remote mountainous area in …
Read More »Ex-Iranian Minister Blames US Sanctions for Raisi’s Chopper Crash
Iranwire – Iran’s former foreign minister has blamed the helicopter crash that killed the Islamic Republic’s president on US sanctions on aviation parts. Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that these punitive measures had hindered Tehran’s access to modern aircraft and prevented necessary repairs to its aging fleet of American-made aircraft. The helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister …
Read More »Who are Raisi’s Potential Successors?
Iranwire – Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line politician considered a potential successor to Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, was confirmed dead in a crash. Iranian state media reported that he and the other passengers had “attained martyrdom.” With Raisi’s death, the list of candidates to replace him is extensive, but in the limited time of about 50 days, tested options have …
Read More »Iran’s rulers mourn Raisi, as opponents celebrate his death in helicopter crash
VOA – As Iran’s Islamist rulers observe five days of mourning for the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a Sunday helicopter crash in the country’s northwest, many Iranians who oppose the Islamic Republic have been celebrating Raisi’s demise at home, abroad and on social media. Raisi, who died in the crash at age 63, was reviled by opponents of …
Read More »Arvin Ghahremani, a 20-year-old Iranian Jewish citizen, is facing imminent execution.
Iran-HRM – Arvin Ghahremani (Nathaniel), a 20-year-old Iranian Jewish citizen, is currently at risk of execution. The Iranian judiciary had intended to carry out the execution of this prisoner on Saturday, May 18, 2024, but it was postponed until Monday, May 20, 2024. Based on the reports received by Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), Arvin Ghahremani committed “intentional murder” …
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