India's Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar visited Tehran and attended the memorial ceremony for Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash on May 19. The incident occurred when the chopper carrying the Iranian officials disappeared over a mountainous region on Sunday evening. Rescue teams were initially unable to reach the crash site due to fog and bad weather conditions, but they located the wreckage the following day, confirming no survivors.
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India's Ministry of External Affairs stated, "Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar visited the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 22 to attend the official ceremony and pay condolences on the tragic demise of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other Iranian officials."
The crash happened amidst heightened tensions in the Middle East, including ongoing conflicts in Gaza and escalations between Iran and Israel, following mutual attacks on each other's territories. President Raisi had recently reaffirmed Iran's unwavering support for Palestine, maintaining a firm stance against Israel.
Ebrahim Raisi, who passed away, was a 63-year-old figure in Iranian politics, representing conservative and hardline factions. He served as president for nearly three years. Prior to his presidency, Raisi was a former chief justice and was often mentioned as a potential successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 85-year-old supreme leader of Iran.
Born in Mashhad, northeastern Iran, Raisi hailed from a religiously significant city for Shia Muslims. He received his religious education and trained at the seminary in Qom, studying under prominent scholars, including Khamenei. Raisi began his career as a prosecutor and gained experience in various jurisdictions before moving to Tehran in 1985.
Throughout his career, Raisi held prominent positions, including being a member of the Assembly of Experts, which selects a replacement for the supreme leader in the event of his death. He served as attorney general from 2014 to 2016, during which time he was appointed by Khamenei to lead Astan Quds Razavi.
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