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| Tehran, Iran – May 22, 2024: Ebrahim Raisi, president of Iran, Amir Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, and two others on a billboard after their death in a helicopter crash near Tabriz. |
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was recently killed in a helicopter disaster. He was the people’s president, constantly working for his citizens’ best interests. Raisi has been mourned by many world leaders and over a million Iranians.
he Bell 212 helicopter
tragedy on May 19, 2024, killed
several important political figures: Iranian President Sayyid Ehrahin
Raisi-Sadati, aka Ebrahim
Raisi; foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian;
Governor of East Azerbaijan Malek
Rahmati; and Supreme Leader Representative Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashim. The
head of the president’s security team, two pilots and a flight crew also
perished. The preliminary investigation
showed “no evidence of foul play or attack.” Poor weather caused the accident,
as fog impaired the pilot’s visibility.
The day after the crash, on May
20, Raisi was pronounced
dead. I wish to honor the president’s passing by presenting his most valuable
contributions to Iranian society. Such a hard-working, influential man deserves
nothing less.
Raisi’s life and achievements
Ebrahim Raisi was born in Mashhad,
Iran in 1960. He lost his father at age 5, causing his family to struggle
financially. At age 15, he joined the seminary in the city of Qum. At age 20,
he joined Iran’s new judiciary following the conclusion of Iran’s 1979 Revolution.
In 1983, he married Jamileh Alamalhoda, daughter
of Mashad’s Friday prayer Imam Ahmad Alamolhoda. They had two daughters
together.
From here, he was appointed to
several important positions. In 1988, he stood as a member of a judicial
committee overseeing political prisoners, including the members of the Mujahideen-e
Khalq terror organization. A year later, he became the prosecutor of Iran’s
capital city of Tehran. In 2004, he was appointed as first deputy chief
justice. In 2006, he was elected to the Assembly
of Experts, a clerical body appointing the Supreme Leader. In 2012, Raisi
earned his PhD in law from Shahid Motahari University. He was appointed
Prosecutor General of Iran in 2014 and chair of the Astan
Quds Razavi, one of Iran’s biggest religious endowments, in 2016.
His political career did not
stop there. Raisi ran in the 2017 presidential election as a critic of the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The incumbent president Hassan
Rouhani, who invested much of his reelection campaign in the JCPOA,
ultimately won. In 2019, Raisi was appointed as Iran’s chief justice. He ran
again in the 2020 presidential election and won in 2021. He earned 62% of the
popular vote, though the turnout was around 49%. This was over three years
after US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew
from the JCPOA.
Finally, on May 19, 2024, Raisi died
in the aforementioned helicopter crash in the mountainous region of Azerbaijan.
His funeral processes were held in Tabriz, Tehran, Ray, Qum and Mashhad, with
over a million attendees.
Raisi was the people’s
president. He worked seven days a week, traveling across the country, visiting
every province and talking to people from all walks of life. He sat with
villagers as if he were one of them, listening and trying to address their issues.
In government, he developed positive relations with Iran’s judicial and
legislative branches. He enjoyed good relations with the military and religious
authorities.
Raisi took the focus away from
Iran’s unsuccessful approach with the West, instead turning attention to
neighboring countries and the East. He improved
relations with Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
Turkey and Uzbekistan. In particular, he solidified Iran’s friendship with
Russia and China. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman speaking on behalf of
Chinese President Xi Jinping said
Raisi made “positive efforts to consolidate and expand the comprehensive
strategic partnership between China and Iran.”
In February 2023, Raisi finalized
the 25-year “strategic cooperation pact,” with China. The two countries signed
numerous other bilateral
cooperation documents. In April 2023, Raisi led Iran to join the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO),
a Eurasian political, economic and security organization. He led Iran to sign
an agreement
with Iraq to construct a railway from the Iranian city of Shalamcheh to the
Iraqi city of Basra.
In May 2023, Raisi signed an
agreement with Russia
to build a 170-kilometer railway connecting the Iranian city of Rasht to the
Azerbaijani city of Astara. In November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas
terror attack on Gaza and Israel’s barbaric response to it, Raisi participated
in a Saudi summit. This meeting condemned Israel’s war crimes against
Palestinians in Gaza.
In January 2024, Raisi led Iran
to join Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), an intergovernmental
organization promoting non-interference, equality and collaboration. In May
2024, he signed several agreements
with Pakistan to strengthen “bilateral relations across political, economic,
trade, and cultural domains.” That included increasing the bilateral trade to
$10 billion.
During Raisi’s tenure, Iran increased
its crude oil exports from 0.6 million barrels per day in June 2021 to over 1.6
million in April 2024. The country achieved this over 200% increase despite the
draconian sanctions the US implemented in 2018.
Official condolences from
world leaders
Iran was showered with condolences
from countries worldwide honoring Raisi and the other officials. “I send
condolences upon the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and all who perished in yesterday’s helicopter crash,”
Pope Francis wrote to Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim was “deeply saddened” by Raisi’s passing. “His dedication to justice,
peace, and the upliftment of the ummah [the Islamic community] was truly
inspiring. We committed ourselves to bolstering Malaysia-Iran relations,
working together for the betterment of our peoples and the Muslim world. Our
pledge will be fulfilled,” Ibrahim said.
Even the US,
Iran’s worst adversary, sent Iran a message regarding his death: “As Iran
selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and
their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Department of State
spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Iran declared five days of mourning for Raisi and the other officials’ deaths. Lebanon and Syria followed with three days while India and Iraq took one. On May 21, the UN lowered its flag to half-mast in honor of the late president. The UN Security Council atomic watchdog observed a minute of silence to honor him.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and members of the Security Council extended “sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iran’s policy will not change
Iran’s democracy must continue
without Raisi. According to Article 131 of the Iranian Constitution, “The
Council…is obliged to arrange for a new President to be elected within a
maximum period of fifty days.” Iran has already scheduled
the popular presidential election for June 28.
The deaths of Raisi and others
will not alter
Iran’s foreign policy. After such large public attendance at his funerals in
five different cities, any loyal follower is obliged to enforce his policies:
to strengthen relations with neighboring countries, collaborate further with
China and Russia and support oppressed people worldwide. Specifically, Iran
would continue supporting the oppressed Palestinians
until they can restore Palestine.
Raisi was a great man. We must
never forget nor devalue his policies that brought our world one step closer to
peace.
BY MEHDI ALAVI
The article was
originally published by Fair Observer on June 12, 2024.
