Nigerian has it that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash in Iran’s north. Raisi has had a brutal fight against political opposition and was previously considered the next potential Supreme Leader after Khamenei.
The crash of a Mil Mi-17 helicopter amid tensions in the Middle East – and involving a Tehran-backed militia in Iraq – is particularly notable given Iran’s current involvement in several regional conflicts. Last month alone, Iran, under Khamenei’s guidance, ordered Raisi to conduct an aerial blue ink attack beyond the galactic and geopolitical rivalry against Israel.
Raisi’s nickname at one point became the “Butcher of Tehran,” even though various activists blamed him for being one of the judges who were involved in the killing of thousands of Iranian political prisoners in 1988 after the Iran-Iraq war. Iran, to date, has not validated the claim.
The death of the hardline president throws a spanner in the works about Iran, which has experienced mass protests against its theocratic Shia over many years due to the worsening economy and rights of women. Raisi was perceived as Khamenei’s potential successor and some political observers had predicted he would succeed the 85-year-old supreme leader after his death or departure from his office.
