Having only just emerged from parliamentary elections, Iran will hold another election within 50 days. In the meantime, the vacant offices will be filled on an acting basis by other figures. Those seeking the presidency will submit their applications, and the election process will begin after the Guardian Council approves them.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the Azerbaijan–Iran border on May 19, 2024, to inaugurate the Qiz Qalasi and Khudafarin dams. Following a meeting held in a warm atmosphere, Raisi and his delegation were traveling toward Iran’s East Azerbaijan province in a convoy of three helicopters. Initial reports indicated that, alongside President Raisi, the helicopter that crashed was carrying Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Tabriz Friday prayer leader Seyyed Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem.
Commenting on the crash, Türkiye’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said: “Initially, we checked whether the helicopter was transmitting a signal. We immediately contacted the Iranian side, but unfortunately it appeared that the signaling system was probably switched off, or that the helicopter did not have such a system.” Iranian authorities consequently had to search a very large area for Raisi’s helicopter.
A NIGHT OF CHAOS
Although all the state’s resources were mobilized for search operations, severe weather prevented aerial searches, making already difficult conditions even harder. Throughout this period, contradictory information came in succession from both the Iranian press and officials, creating confusion. Many news outlets quickly deleted posts they had shared on Twitter, and reports were denied. In short, the entire night was marked by chaos, which also disrupted the flow of reliable information. Throughout the operation, people in Iran were called to pray, gathering in squares and at shrines to do so.
As darkness fell and the cold intensified, the situation grew more serious. Racing against time, Iranian authorities requested a search-and-rescue helicopter with night-vision capability from Türkiye. Türkiye dispatched an AKINCI armed unmanned aerial vehicle and a Cougar support helicopter to assist Iran. It also sent 32 mountain search-and-rescue personnel in six vehicles.
AKINCI UAV LOCATES THE WRECKAGE
Because weather conditions might prevent the helicopter from flying, Turkish officials informed Iran that an AKINCI UAV could conduct search and detection operations. After Iran accepted the offer, an AKINCI UAV was dispatched at around 11:30 p.m. Turkish time, arriving in the crash area about an hour later and beginning its search. After scanning a large area over two hours, the UAV visually located the helicopter at around 2:30 a.m., and the wreckage’s coordinates were shared with Iranian authorities. The flight lasted more than seven hours in total, with the UAV returning to Turkish airspace at 6:45 a.m.
From the moment AKINCI began operating, the world watched closely to see how events would unfold. Some journalists and social media users in Iran objected, fearing it could create intelligence vulnerabilities, but the operation’s transparency forestalled these debates. The release of footage showing the moment the wreckage was found also answered subsequent claims by some in Iran that AKINCI had contributed nothing and that Iran had located the wreckage without outside help. Hundreds of thousands followed its activities through Anadolu Agency, while approximately 200,000 people watched simultaneously on the flight-tracking application Flightradar24. The application’s social media account announced that 2.8 million people had followed AKINCI in total. The UAV also ranked highly in Google searches worldwide.
IRAN WILL RETURN TO THE POLLS
Article 131 of Iran’s Constitution provides for such circumstances: “In the event of the president’s death, dismissal, resignation, absence, or illness lasting more than two months, the vice president shall assume the president’s powers with the approval of the Supreme Leader. A council comprising the speaker of parliament, the head of the judiciary, and the vice president is required to ensure that a new president is elected within no more than 50 days.” Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei confirmed that this procedure would be followed.
Having only just emerged from parliamentary elections, Iran will hold another election within 50 days, while other figures assume the vacant offices on an acting basis. Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has taken over from Ebrahim Raisi. Ali Bagheri, the deputy foreign minister for political affairs and chief nuclear negotiator, has assumed the foreign ministry portfolio left vacant by Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Those seeking the presidency will submit their applications during this period, and the election process will begin after the Guardian Council approves their eligibility.
WHO IS MOHAMMAD MOKHBER?
Mohammad Mokhber was born in 1955 in Dezful, in Iran’s Khuzestan province. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in international law, as well as a second master’s degree and doctorate in business administration. He served on the front during the Iran–Iraq War. Throughout the 1990s, he was chief executive of Dezful Telecommunications in his hometown. He was later appointed deputy governor of Khuzestan. From the 2000s onward, he chaired Sina Bank for approximately a decade. Before becoming head of the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order in 2007, he held a senior position at the Mostazafan Foundation.
Mokhber is among those sanctioned by both the European Union and the United States. The EU listed him in 2010 for involvement in nuclear activities, but removed him from the list in 2012. After Ebrahim Raisi took office following the 2021 election, Mokhber was appointed first vice president on August 8, 2021, becoming the seventh person to hold the post. He has held various senior positions in the economy and industry, making important contributions particularly to infrastructure projects and economic development. He developed and implemented policies intended to increase the Islamic Republic of Iran’s economic resilience.
This article was first published on May 22, 2024, in Yeni Şafak.