(ConservativeJournal.org) – The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a mysterious helicopter crash on Sunday, May 19 has resulted in a miasma of conspiracy theories online about the potential that the Israeli or U.S. establishment was responsible. The crash occurred over a remote mountainous region and bad weather at the time hampered the discovery of the remains. A Turkish drone pilot was able to locate a thermal signal which alerted authorities to the location; all the passengers were discovered dead at the site.
Iran declared a five-day mourning period. Other notable figures who perished in the crash were Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and General Malek Rahmati. Observers are speculating that the loss won’t result in any severe shift in Iranian foreign policy when it comes to how they’re handling the negotiations over the Israel-Hamas war or Iranian development of nuclear weapons.
Iranian officials have been dropping hints about the potential for them to produce a nuclear weapon within days, should the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei authorize it. Khamenei is the ultimate authority in Iran, with the president elected in tightly controlled elections such that his office effectively implements the vision of the Supreme Leader.
Ali Vaez told members of the press that he did not expect “a sea change” in Iranian policy. Vaez is the director of the Iran Project with the International Crisis Group (ICG). He explained that the vice president will assume the office and elections will be held within 50 days, per the Iranian constitution.
Raisi has previously been a tough negotiator over sanctions and nuclear technology development during the Trump administration. Trump pulled out of the Obama-era nuclear deal in 2018, which installed theoretical limits for Iranian technological development. Sanctions were lifted in exchange. Iran has flouted those limits in the intervening years.
Vaez highlighted how the negotiations over each issue were being handled by separate teams distinct from the office of the president such that they can continue without delay. He added that the loss of the foreign minister may impact some diplomatic efforts that had been ongoing until such time that new elections and a new cabinet could take over the relevant positions.
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