Ebrahim Raisolsadati who was commonly known as Ebrahim Raisi died in a crash on Sunday while being flown in a helicopter above the snowy mountains of Azerbaijan. He was elected as the 8th president of Iran and was a very close ally to the supreme spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The news of Ebrahim Raisi’s death came as a shock to many.
Net Worth of Ebrahim Raisi
Although the internet is now awash with unverified claims and accusations about his net worth which they claim is somewhere near $110 Billion. However, more trusted and reliable sources claim that his net worth was $7.23 million. Sources of his wealth reportedly came from his career earnings from the judiciary and political work and the investments that he made later on. However, in an oil-rich economy, a mere 8 million net worth is not that influential but his position and closeness to the supreme leader were way more valuable.
Early Life and Claim to Fame
Born as Ebrahim Raisolsadati on Dec. 14, 1960, in the Noghan district of Mashhad, Raisi hailed from a cleric family and wore a black turban that signified his descent from the Prophet Muhammad. He was among Husayn ibn Ali Sayyids and was connected to the highest religious hierarchies including the spiritual supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Raisi is married to Jamileh Alamolhoda, the daughter of Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Imam of Friday Prayers in Mashhad. Jamileh is an associate professor at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University and serves as the president of the university's Institute of Fundamental Studies of Science and Technology. The couple has two daughters and two grandchildren.
Political Rise
Raisi worked tirelessly for every achievement in his life as nothing was handed to him on a plate. He patiently took one step at a time and perfected his clerical credentials first by passing the highest degree called KharejeFegh and by declaring himself Ayatollah. However, after the backlash from the masses, he reverted to hojat ol eslam.
It was believed that he had a strong involvement in the Iran revolution and was granted an appointment as deputy prosecutor of Tehran where he gained the trust of Ruhollah Khomeini and in was appointed as a member of the death committee that oversaw the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners accused of collaborating with Iraq during the first Gulf war. Such was the scale of executions that he was called the butcher of Tehran due to his involvement.
Becoming A president
Raisi became a surprise candidate for the 2021 presidential elections and stood as an independent candidate. The election was overshadowed when many of his prominent moderate and reformist opponents were suddenly disqualified and a majority of voters boycotted the election.
Raisi won 62% of the votes in the first round but faced the lowest turnout in Iran’s history which was just under 49%. He famously promised to support any diplomatic plan that led to the lifting of sanctions.
Anti-Government Protests
A young woman had been detained by Iran’s morality police for wearing her hijab improperly and was subjected to physical violence causing her to die. This started the Woman, Life, Freedom movement that spread all over Iran like wildfire. Raisi being Raisi, vowed to deal with the protesters and the result was an unofficial death toll of 551 protestors killed by security forces. Thousands were detained and many were executed.
Tensions with Israel
While Raisi was aiming to cool down the centuries-old tensions with its country's bitter rival Saudi Arabia, and approached after no diplomatic relations for almost a decade, Hamas carried out an unheard-of cross-border attack on Israel that opened a Pandora box for the whole region.
According to Israel, Iran’s proxies including Hezbollah, Houties, and several other militia groups joined the proxy war and started a war of their own on different fronts. Israel responded by killing a prominent commander of Iranian forces visiting abroad.
Raisi responded by launching more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel. While most of them were shot down, some of them did hit the places they were aimed for. The rest of the world including world superpowers called for restraint and the incident was played down by Raisi himself.
Death of Ebrahim Raisi
President Ebrahim Raisi was invited to inaugurate a dam at Iran – Azerbaijan border called Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint hydroelectric power project with neighboring Azerbaijan on the Aras River. With Azerbaijan President Aliyev. The inauguration went successfully when the president declared that Palestine is the most important problem that the Muslim world is facing right now.
On his way back, President Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and several other senior figures boarded the American-made Bell 212 helicopter that was believed to be decades old. Due to the crippling sanctions from the US, it became almost impossible for Iran to obtain parts of this helicopter and it was being looked after with locally assembled or parts acquired from the black market.
Presidents convoy was travelling in a convoy of three helicopters and it was his helicopter that was forced to make a hard landing at around 13:30 local time. The other two helicoptors were forced to land and it is reported that the president’s crew were able to contact them without providing any details. But at around : local time the wreckage was spotted and later the death of the president and others was announced.
According to the media reports, the dense fog and rain forced the helicopter to experience hard landing in the mountains in the middle of a forest. Search efforts were not successful due to the harsh weather and the crash site was discovered on Monday. It was announced that Raisi and everyone else on board the helicopter had been killed. Reportedly seven people accompanying the president also died in the crash.
What Happens Next?
According to the Iranian constitution, the vice president of the country takes over as temporary president if the president dies. The new presidential election will be held within days. Mohammad Mokhber 68, is a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Officer and will take over as president until the next election that is due to be held in the next 50 days. Ali Bagheri Kani will replace Foreign Minister Hossein Ami Abdollahian.