Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died with the Foreign Minister and other senior officials in a helicopter crash, and all eyes are on his temporary successor.
The week started with the disturbing development as a helicopter, carrying President Raisi, made a hard landing in in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province on Sunday amid extreme weather conditions.
After the tragic death, Mohammad Mokhber is said to be the man who will be interim president. Mokhber is currently the first vice president and is part of a three-person council, along with the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary, that will organize a new presidential election in next two months.
Reports shared online claimed that Mokhber is close aide of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and he was first vice president in 2021 when Raisi was elected president.
Mokhber is known for his experience, he visited Russia in October, where Iran agreed to supply surface-to-surface missiles and more drones to Kremlin army.
He also led Setad, an investment fund linked to the supreme leader. EU sanctioned Mokhber for alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities, but he was removed later.
Mokhber is also member of the Expediency Discernment Council, and he previously remained deputy governor of Khuzestan Province, and chief of the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO).
He reportedly holds two Phd degrees, first in international rights and one in management, as well as an Masters degree in management.
During Iran-Iraq War, the seasoned politician served as an officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s medical corps.
Who is Ebrahim Raisi? Iranian President who died in plane crash
