TEHRAN: Iran will hold presidential elections on June 28 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
Interim President Mohammad Mokhber, along with key officials including the parliamentary speaker and head of the judiciary, decided the election date. Registration for presidential candidates will run from May 30 to June 3, and the campaign period will last from June 12 to 27.
Investigation Launched
Iran has initiated an investigation into the helicopter crash. Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, formed a committee headed by Brigadier Ali Abdollahi to investigate the incident. The committee will make the findings public.
Previously, the Iranian state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that a “technical failure” caused the crash. Raisi and other officials were returning from a dam inauguration near the Azerbaijan border when their helicopter crashed in the Varzaqan region amid heavy fog. Rescuers confirmed all passengers, including Raisi, dead when they found the helicopter’s wreckage after an overnight search in severe weather conditions.
Tehran will hold President Raisi’s funeral today. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced a five-day mourning period.
Identifiable Bodies: NDMO
Dr. Mohammad Hassan Nami, Head of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NDMO), stated that authorities could identify all the bodies, including Raisi’s, without needing DNA testing. Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, a representative of the Supreme Leader, survived the crash for an hour and communicated with the president’s office before succumbing to his injuries.
