IRAN – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has confirmed that Mohammad Mokhber will take over as interim president following the death of Ebrahim Raisi.

Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate power in Iran, confirmed that the first vice president will become acting head of the country’s executive branch on Monday, hours after it was confirmed that Raisi had been killed in a helicopter crash. The need to replace the governmental leadership is pressing as Iran remains in the midst of heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Israel’s war in Gaza has prompted lower-level conflicts with Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Last month, Iran and Israel swapped direct strikes at one another.

The appointment of Mokhber, who became vice president in 2021 when Raisi was elected president and is seen as being close to Khamenei, is in line with the constitution. “[Mokhber] is obliged to arrange with the heads of the legislative and judicial branches to elect a new president within a maximum of 50 days,” Khamenei noted, a requirement also set out by the constitution.

The wreckage of the helicopter carrying Raisi, as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers as well as crew, was found yesterday morning after an overnight search in poor weather.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s lead negotiator on its nuclear programme, has been appointed as acting foreign minister following the death of Amirabdollahian.

Khamenei also announced five days of mourning in a statement published by the state news organisation IRNA, adding that he offers his “condolences to the dear people of Iran”.

(Al Jazeera)…[+]