World leaders mourn with Iran
Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Editor
WORLD leaders have united in mourning Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi who died after a helicopter crash Sunday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he is “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise” of the Iranian president.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared a day of mourning “as a mark of respect for President Raisi and his companions in solidarity with Iran.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro added his voice saying the tragic demise of President Raisi has left him in shock.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has also offered deepest condolences while the Palestinian Hamas group expressed shared feelings of sorrow and pain with the Iranian people.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement also described the Iranian president as a “big brother” to the Lebanese resistance movement and a staunch supporter of its cause, saying he defended resistance groups and their fighters.
President Raisi died alongside his accompanying delegation, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, after their chopper crashed in the Dizmar forest in East Azarbaijan Province on Sunday.
Reports say the convoy was on its way from Khoda Afarin County where the Iranian leader attended the commissioning of a storage dam along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev earlier in the day.
According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran where a president is incapable of executing his duties due to illness, death or impeachment, the vice-president in this case, Mohammad Mokhber is expected to run the affairs of the country jointly with the heads of parliament and the judiciary.
He will also oversee an election for a new president within a maximum of 50 days.
