How, Where, and Why: The Story of the Crash of the Iranian President’s Plane and Its Aftermath

Reports indicated that the incident occurred after Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi concluded a visit to the north of the country, where he was inaugurating the Qiz Qala Si Dam with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The dam is a joint project between the two countries on the border Aras River.

According to local media, President Raisi was en route to the city of Tabriz in northwest Iran, after returning from the Azerbaijani border, where he inaugurated the Qiz Qalasi and Khoda Afarin dams when his helicopter disappeared following what is described as a difficult landing.

The Islamic Republic News Agency announced the death of all helicopter passengers: Ibrahim Raisi, Mohammad Ali Hashem (Imam of Tabriz), Hussein Amir Abdollahian (Foreign Minister), Malik Rahmati (Governor of East Azerbaijan), pilot, co-pilot, Koruchiyev (flight attendant), a security officer, and one of the personal guards.

What happened and why does the area where the plane disappeared posed a problem for search operations?

The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi disappeared or crashed about 60 kilometres from its departure point near the Qiz Qala Si Dam, according to Al Jazeera.

The Mehr News Agency said that Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s plane crashed due to bad weather, and it is uncertain about the whole aspects of this incident, indicating that rescue teams had struggled while approaching the location, where reports indicated that the area where the plane crashed is mountainous and extremely rugged terrain.

The Iranian News Agency, Nour, stated that no explosions were heard in the area.

Al Jazeera reported that the weather in the area where the plane is believed to have crashed has a humidity of up to 80%, with temperatures reaching six or seven degrees Celsius, and the weather could be a major factor in this incident.

IRNA reported that difficult weather conditions and thick fog hindered rescue efforts following the helicopter crash carrying Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi.

No signals from the aircraft reached monitoring areas, leading to speculation that the aircraft’s devices may have been destroyed during the landing, and the area where it landed does not have internet access.

Due to weather conditions, especially rainfall, Iranian authorities have suspended the launch of drones in the area, and rescue operations are now being conducted on foot.

Three rescue personnel were missing, with communication cut off with them, according to Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Iran, due to the ruggedness of the area, indicating that there are volunteer teams from the local population as well as specialized rescue teams, in addition to special forces from the Iranian army and teams from the Revolutionary Guard, which indicated a lack of precise location determination.

What type of helicopter crashed?

From published images, it is believed that the helicopter may be an American-made Bell 412 (or Bell 212), which in its civilian version can carry 13 passengers. Iran suffers from a shortage of spare parts for its fleet of Western aircraft, especially American ones, due to Western sanctions, although Tehran has made great efforts to purchase spare parts from the black market or imitate them.

The spare parts issue may be one explanation for the crash of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, and the Israeli-Iranian tension casts its shadow over the incident, especially as the area where the helicopter disappeared is not far from the borders of Azerbaijan, which Tehran accuses of allowing Israeli intelligence activities on its territory.

In addition to the questions raised by some about internal disagreements, especially since the Foreign Minister, who played a role in the Iranian nuclear file, was on board the plane.

Key Milestones in the Life of the Iranian President

Ibrahim Raisi assumed the presidency of Iran on August 4, 2021, becoming the eighth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Before his election, he was described as close to the Supreme Leader, and the media referred to him as the most likely successor to the Supreme Leader. It was said that he was admired by the security apparatus and religious institutions in the Islamic Republic, but his critics say that he is not popular among the educated urban middle class in the country.

Raisi suffered a significant loss when he ran against Rouhani in 2017 because he was seen as a threat to the nuclear agreement that his opponent defended in an attempt to revive the economy, improve relations with the United States, and encourage direct foreign investment in the country after decades of isolation.

Before the 2017 elections, Ibrahim Raisi was not widely known among Iranians, as he had spent the previous years away from the spotlight working in the judiciary. He was seen as the favoured candidate of the hardline faction and the Revolutionary Guard.

Raisi, a conservative figure facing severe criticism for his human rights record, held the top position in the Iranian judiciary before assuming the presidency.

Human rights groups accuse him of involvement in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.

In 1985, he became Tehran’s Deputy Prosecutor General, a position that paved the way for him to join what opponents of the regime called the “Death Committee” in 1988.

This committee, which presided over secret trials held in 1988, included three other judges along with Raisi.

The exact number of those executed in those trials is unknown, but human rights groups point to five thousand men and women buried in unmarked mass graves, constituting a crime against humanity.

Leaders of the Islamic Republic acknowledge the executions, but they refrain from discussing the details of those judgments and their legality, according to a report by BBC.

Raisi consistently denies any role in the death sentences, but at the same time, he defends them, saying that they came after a fatwa issued by the Supreme Leader at the time, Ayatollah Khomeini.

When Ibrahim Raisi assumed the presidency, many observers expected him to be Khamenei’s successor, given his career progression. He is among the rare few in the Iranian Republic who have held positions in two branches of power in their professional career, first the judiciary, and then the presidency. Additionally, his career trajectory resembles that of Khamenei, who transitioned from the presidency to the position of Supreme Leader.

Despite the emergence of competitors, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi remains one of the most prominent candidates to succeed Khamenei as Supreme Leader, especially as there are indications of the victory of security officials close to him in conflicts that have occurred in the upper echelons of the security apparatus.

What Happens Now?

Article 113 of the Iranian Constitution states that the Iranian President is the highest official in the country after the Supreme Leader and is responsible for implementing the Constitution and chairing the executive branch (the government), except for matters that fall under the Supreme Leader.

The Iranian Constitution provides for the formation of a temporary committee to assume the duties of the Iranian presidency if the President is unable to exercise his powers for two months for any reason, as reported by the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.

Under Article 131, a committee will take over the President’s duties in case of his death, absence, or illness for more than two months, or the end of the President’s term without the election of a new President.

In this case, the Iranian Vice President (currently Mohammad Mokhber) will chair the committee, with the approval of the Iranian Supreme Leader, which includes the Speaker of Parliament and the head of the judiciary. The Vice President will be required to organize presidential elections within 50 days.

According to Article 131, the Iranian Supreme Leader can directly assume all the powers of the President himself, or appoint a new official, in case the Vice President is unable to exercise his powers as required.