Sina Hummingbird | Iran President Crashed and Killed: The highest leader of a country, known for fighting corruption and being tough with the United States

Author | Wang Yukun, Zhang Ziyue, Fan Yuanyuan

Edit | Li Gu

Sudden and latest developments

On May 20, foreign media reported that Iranian President Lehi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahian were killed in a helicopter accident on May 19. Up to now, Maher News Agency said that Iranian President Lehi was killed in an accident while serving the Iranian people and performing his duties.

There were 6 passengers and 3 crew members on the President's plane. Iranian media reported that in addition to Lehi, there are also Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahian, Governor of East Azerbaijan Malik Rahmati, Imam Mohammed Ali Al Hashem, as well as a pilot, a deputy pilot, a captain, a security officer and a bodyguard. Half an hour after takeoff, the Bell 212 helicopter lost contact in the Walzagan Mountains in the northwest of the country.

The day before the accident, the Iranian meteorological department issued an orange weather warning for the region. On the afternoon of the 19th, when Leahy and his party left Azerbaijan by the American made Bell 212 helicopter of the Iranian government, the takeoff photos taken by the Iranian media showed that the weather was somewhat gloomy, but the ground visibility was good.

However, half an hour later, when Iranian rescue workers began to rush to the mountain area about 20 kilometers away from the border to search for the accident site, the on-site video showed that the fog was thick and the ground visibility was only a few meters. Vice President Mansuri in charge of administrative affairs also said on the 19th that local climate conditions could not allow helicopters and drones to take off for aerial search.

On the evening of May 19, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Kelivand, said that 40 quick response teams of the organization were currently conducting search operations at the scene of the accident, but the weather conditions near the accident site were bad and the terrain was rugged. Iranian state television also broadcast the scene of rescue convoys galloping in the forest area. It can be seen that heavy rain and strong wind continue on the mountain road, and rescue workers walk in the fog to search. People in front can no longer be seen several meters away.

At present, Iranian officials call the accident "hard landing incident". In the civil aviation industry, "hard landing" generally refers to hitting the ground at a higher vertical speed and force than normal landing, which may cause slight discomfort to passengers, or damage or even disintegration of aircraft structures, or even casualties.

Lech's helicopter is American made Bell 212 helicopter. The Bell 212 helicopter was transformed from the US military helicopter during the Vietnam War, and has been regarded as one of the most reliable helicopters in the world since 1979. However, due to the helicopter's own structure, flight height and other factors, there is still a high operational risk in case of mountain fog, rain, snow, strong wind and other extreme conditions.

Throughout the history of civil aviation, it is very rare for heads of state and government to encounter helicopter accidents. In 1969, Bolivian President Barrientos was killed in a helicopter accident. On February 6 this year, Pinera, a former President of Chile and a helicopter enthusiast, crashed when he was flying through Lake Lanco in the rain, killing himself. In addition, the Prime Minister of Madagascar, Lakoto Malala, and the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Karami, were also killed in a helicopter crash, but they are generally believed to be related to murder.

In addition to weather factors, mechanical factors and human factors are also common causes of helicopter accidents. Some western media emphasized in their reports that Iran has difficulties in aircraft maintenance due to sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries in recent years.

It is worth noting that a year ago, Iranian politicians also suffered a helicopter accident. On March 23, 2023, a Mi-171 helicopter carrying the Iranian Sports Minister suddenly crashed out of control when landing at the Baft Stadium. The Minister survived, but his office director was killed.

Non Iran's highest political authority

It is worth noting that President Leahy, who was killed in the helicopter accident, is not Iran's highest political authority.

In Iran's national constitutional framework, The President is the head of state and government, leading the administrative department, but the highest leader holds the highest power of the country. He makes decisions and supervises major political and security affairs of the country, and has extensive influence in the three powers of administration, legislation, justice, and national defense security.

According to Article 110 of the Iranian Constitution, the supreme leader has 11 powers: to formulate national policies, supervise the implementation of national policies, issue the results of the referendum, act as commander in chief of the armed forces, declare war and make peace, and appoint and remove six members of the Constitutional Guardianship Council Academician members, the Chief Justice Officer, the head of the national radio and television department, the Chief of the General Staff, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard and the commanders of all services and arms coordinate the relationship between the various departments of the armed forces, solve the special problems of the country by determining the National Interest Committee, confirm the presidential election qualifications and election results, remove the president according to procedures, and implement amnesty according to the recommendations of the Chief Justice Officer.

The Supreme Leader is elected by the Committee of Experts. The President is directly elected by all voters. The term of office is four years and he can be re elected once.

The current supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, born on April 19, 1939, is 85 years old. He is currently the longest serving leader of the Middle East.

According to Khamenei's personal website, he was arrested six times during the Pahlavi dynasty. In 1981, Khamenei was attacked by the conservative forces of the Pahlavi dynasty. His vocal cords, lungs and arms were injured, and he lost the movement function of his right arm forever. Later, he could only shake hands with his left hand.

Khamenei has served as the President of Iran since October 1981, and became an ally with Khomeini, the then supreme leader. On August 6, 1989, Khamenei officially took over the post of Khomeini, who died, and became the supreme leader of the country.

The US Foreign Policy magazine revealed that Khamenei, as a clergyman, once taught Leslie a lesson.

As a representative figure of the hard line conservatives in Iran's political arena, Lehi and the supreme leader Khamenei have similar ideological tendencies, so he was widely regarded as one of the hot successors of Khamenei by the outside world.

Vigorously fight against corruption and be tough with the United States

In 1960, Lehi was born in Mashhad, Iran's second largest city and religious holy city. At the age of 15, he began to study at the religious college in the Shiite holy city of Qom, and learned from some prominent religious figures in Iran.

Since the age of 17, Leahy has been actively opposed to the westernized and secularized Pahlavi regime politically, and has participated in demonstrations such as the sit in of scholars and religious figures at Tehran University.

In 1979, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Lehi studied at Beheshti University (formerly known as the National University of Iran) and joined the judicial system after graduation. In 1981, at the age of 21, Leahy was appointed as the prosecutor of Karaji in northern Iran. From there, Lehi successively served as the prosecutor of Hamadan Province, the prosecutor of Tehran and other important posts.

Thanks to the trust of Khamenei, Lehi's position in the judiciary has been rising: he served as the deputy head of the Iranian Ministry of Justice in 2004, was appointed as the country's attorney general in 2014, and was appointed as the judicial director in 2019, becoming "the highest official in the Iranian judicial field".

Khamenei said in his appointment statement at that time that Lehi had rich knowledge, impartiality, high credibility and years of judicial work experience in the judicial and theological fields. He called on Leahy to "stand together with the people and the revolution and fight against corruption" in his new post.

After taking office, Leahy vigorously fought against corruption, punished the inaction within the judicial system, dismissed unqualified judges, prosecuted the beneficiaries of corruption, tried the relatives of senior officials... These actions made him widely praised among his supporters.

In addition to holding public office in the judicial system, Leahy has always insisted on serving as a teacher in religious schools.

In 2016, Lehi was appointed by Khamenei as the guardian of the Imam Reza Holy Land, and took charge of the Astan Gudes Razawi organization, Iran's richest religious foundation.

In addition, Leahy served as the vice chairman of the Iranian Expert Committee. This body is composed of jurists and religious scholars elected by referendum. Its responsibility is to elect, supervise and depose the supreme leader. It plays an important role in Iran's political system.

In 2017, Leahy participated in the presidential election for the first time, but failed to compete with the then President of Iran, Rouhani, who represented the reformist camp. Rouhani's political position is relatively moderate. He once reached an agreement with Britain, France and Germany to suspend Iran's uranium enrichment activities during his tenure as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

In 2021, Leahy will make a comeback. His campaign promises include eradicating poverty, corruption and discrimination, and resuming the Iran nuclear agreement, so that the Middle East power with a population of 88.55 million can return to the economic track after the new pandemic. At that time, against the background of the embarrassed withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the high swing of Washington's policy, the hardline conservatives in Iran took the opportunity to rise. On June 19, 2021, Leahy won the 13th presidential election in Iran.

Shortly after taking office, Leahy appointed Mohammad Mokhber as the first Vice President, becoming the seventh first Vice President since the 1989 constitutional amendment. Mukhber and Leahy are important representatives of hard line conservatives.

Leahy's potential successor

According to the Constitution of Iran, in the event of the death of the President, the First Vice President will take over the presidency, but it needs to be confirmed by the Supreme Leader. The supreme leader has the final decision on all national affairs in the Iranian political system. In addition, the committee consisting of the First Vice President, the Speaker of the Parliament and the Minister of Justice must arrange the new presidential election within 50 days. According to the original schedule, Iran's next presidential election should have been held in 2025.

In 1989, Iran's institutional reform abolished the post of Prime Minister, and the Vice President took over part of the power of Prime Minister. At present, Iran has several cabinet members who also serve as Vice President, but Mohammed Mukhber is the first Vice President personally designated by President Lehi in August 2021. Mukhber is also considered to be the best cabinet member in Iran. In the event of Lehi's death, Mukhber will take over the presidency according to the Constitution.

Mukhber was born in Dezfur, Iran in 1955. As a "academic bully", he studied for two master's degrees and two doctorates (economic development planning and management). Mukhber served as the medical officer of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard during the Iran Iraq War, and later served as the general manager of the Huqistan Telecom Company and the general manager of the Mustafa Charity Foundation. After years of struggling in the fields of medical treatment and communication, he was elected Vice Governor of Huqistan Province after accumulating many front-line experience, and then entered the political arena. After he was appointed as the First Vice President in 2021, he also appeared in Iran's important foreign affairs activities.

Mukhber had been in charge of Iran Setad Company for 14 years before he was appointed as Vice President. Setad is an economic group directly under the orders of Iran's highest leader. It not only has strong economic strength, but also has undertaken many charitable tasks in Iranian society. When he was in charge of Setad, the company had developed a new domestic crown vaccine in Iran during the epidemic.

In July 2010, the EU listed Mukhber (then Chairman of Setad) on the list of individuals and entities subject to sanctions for suspected involvement in "nuclear or ballistic missile activities". Two years later, the EU removed him from the above list.

According to the state media, the First Vice President Mohamed Mohbel has begun to receive calls from officials and foreign governments.

Comments from all walks of life

As a hardliner, Lech's relations with the West have been deteriorating since he became President, and he has established closer economic cooperation with Russia, China and neighboring countries in the Middle East. Will Lech's accidental death change Iran's current diplomatic situation?

The Wall Street Journal, an American media, believes that if Lech died or lost his ability to act in this accident, it is not expected to change Iran's position on any important geopolitical issues, including its nuclear program and the current round of Palestinian Israeli conflict.

Ali Vaez, head of Iranian affairs, also said that "to some extent, this result does not indicate that Iran's way of formulating and handling its overseas interests will change significantly".

"It is the top leader who makes strategic decisions on foreign policy, although he will listen to the views of other key stakeholders, including the President."

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has always taken a hostile attitude towards the United States and the West, which has greatly affected Iran's diplomatic situation.

Ali Vaz, the Iranian project director, pointed out that this would lead to the loss of a long-term trusted ally of Khamenei. "Lehi was originally a good choice, because he was an obedient president and had been acting according to the wishes of the supreme leader for decades.".

In April this year, after Israel launched an air strike on a building of the Iranian Embassy in Syria, the hostilities between the two sides became more apparent. Iran retaliated by directly attacking Israel for the first time after decades of hostility, launching more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, many of which were shot down.

Ali Vaez, director of Iranian affairs, said. This will "pose a major challenge to a country that is in the midst of a serious crisis of legislative reform at home and faces Israel and the United States externally".

Ji Kaiyun, a professor of world history at the School of History and Culture of Southwest University, analyzed that, first of all, Khamenei is old, and the country is facing a smooth transition of political power, so it needs to be stable.

Secondly, although the United States has been imposing sanctions, blockades, containment and suppression on Iran for 43 years, such suppression exists in all aspects of politics, economy, culture, diplomacy and military. Iran is in a long-term confrontation with the United States and Israel, and from time to time there will be abnormal events, such as the assassination of Suleymani, the explosion near Iran's nuclear facilities, etc. But in general, Israel and Iran, especially Iran, are unwilling to put the country in a state of war, let alone gamble on the fate of the country.

"Iran has formed a series of countermeasures against US sanctions and put forward a resistance oriented economic strategy. The Iranian regime is stable, and the political, economic and social levels are generally stable, but there are still major difficulties in employment, inflation, foreign investment and other aspects. Through long-term practice, Iran has formed a unique industrial, defense, industrial and economic system. Although the level is somewhat backward, this kind of self reliant system structure has been formed. " Ji Kaiyun said.

From the perspective of Ji Kaiyun, Iran, a country that has experienced bloody events for thousands of years, has a strong political resilience, and Lech was killed in this accident. "There will be no subversive impact on Iran's internal and foreign affairs, and it may be more like a" skin scratch "for Iran, which is an external, temporary, but more painful thing".

At the same time, Trita Passy, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, an American think-tank, told Al Jazeera that "Lech is not a particularly influential president, and I don't think that if he withdraws from politics, it will bring any special changes to Iran." He added that unlike Hassan Rouhani, the predecessor who led nuclear negotiations with the West, Lech is not the promoter of Iran's major strategic policies.

reference material:

1. What will Iran do next

2. New York Times "Helicopter Carrying Iran's President Has Crashed, State Media Reports”

3. Associated Press "Iran's priority, foreign minister and others found dead at helicopter crash site， state media says”

4. Global character The president who died in the "hard landing" is an "anti American fighter"

5. Review of the Life of Iranian President Leahy: He set off an anti-corruption storm and took a tough attitude towards the United States

6. China News Weekly "Iranian politicians also suffered helicopter accidents a year ago"

7. Interface news "The deceased" Iranian President Leahy: hardliners taking a pragmatic line "