Iran to hold presidential elections on Jun 28

TEHRAN: Iran has decided to hold presidential elections on June 28 after the office fell vacant due to President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash incident.

A high-level meeting presided by Iran's Interim President Mohammad Mokhber and attended by several bigwigs including speaker of the parliament and head of judiciary was held to finalise the dates for the poll.

The forum determined to hold presidential elections in Iran on June 28. “Registration for the presidential candidates will be held from May 30 to June 3 and campaign for the elections would be run from June 12 to 27,” it decided.

Crash probe launched

Meanwhile, Iran has launched an investigation into the helicopter crash incident. Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri has formed an investigation committee headed by Brigadier Ali Abdollahi. The report of the incident’s probe would be made public.

Earlier, the Iranian state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) had reported that the chopper faced the accident because of “technical failure”.

Raisi and other high officials were returning after attending an inauguration ceremony of a dam on Iran’s border with the Republic of Azerbaijan when the chopper crashed while flying through a mountainous terrain amid heavy fog in the Varzaqan region of the country's East Azerbaijan province on Sunday afternoon.

All passengers, including Raisi, were declared dead when charred wreckage of the Bell 212 helicopter was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.

The funeral procession for President Raisi will be held in Tehran on Tuesday (today).

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran's nuclear programme, announced a five-day mourning period.

Dead bodies identifiable: NDMO

On identification of bodies, Head of National Disaster Management Organisation (NDMO) Dr Mohammad Hassan Nami said all the dead bodies including Raisi’s were identifiable, hence, there was no need for their DNA test.

Nami said dead body of Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, representative of the Iranian supreme leader to East Azerbaijan, was found in the best condition as he was still alive after one hour of the crash.

Ali even called the head of the president office after the accident and talked to him, he added.