1) President Ibrahim Raisi – We have to face it

The Iranian President may have passed. We must also face it, it may not be a normal departure from life, but as Maria Zakharova said, Russia is willing to help investigate the reasons for the incident.

The search continues in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province for the crashed helicopter. It has been 12 hours.  Rescue efforts have been challenging due to the difficult mountainous terrain and poor weather conditions at night. Many drones are searching and thousands are following the drone paths on apps such as Flightradar.  Weather is uncooperative and searching at night is difficult.  New information came in with these numbers:  1.9 million people are watching the live stream from the Turkish Akıncı UAV participating in the search for President Raisi’s helicopter.  More than 200,000 people are tracking the drone on FlightRadar.

There were reports overnight from Iranian military officials that a call was received from a mobile phone at the crash site, indicating possible survivors. However, details on who made the call are unclear. In general news was spotty and very difficult to follow.

The people of Iran are out in the streets praying and the people are concerned and there is a tenseness.

Countries expressed support for Iran and sent help. Russia, on the direct orders of President Vladimir Putin, sent two planes and 50 mountain rescuers. A Turkish Anka UAV and an AS.532 helicopter have already begun operations in the search area and Turkey will send more mountain rescue specialists. Azerbaijan has also offered to send two helicopters.

There have been no official reports on the discovery of the helicopter or the fate of President Raisi, the crew, and passengers. Unfortunately, the chances of survival diminish with each passing hour, as it is cold in the mountains at night, and prompt medical care is crucial for any injured.

The way Iran works though politically, is helpful. It is clear that Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will become the acting president should President Raisi not be able or should he have passed and then early elections will be called in Iran.

Yes, we may ask, Who Dun’it? President Biden rushed to the White House for special meetings, and many reports out of the US says he is dead and the Iranian Government is simply waiting for the right moment to announce it. No, I don’t know who dun’it, but I know that Israel would feel relieved. We will get to Who Dun’it.

In the meantime, I am still hoping the Iranian President is found alive and that he will continue with his presidency. In reality, my heart is somewhat knocked aside and my knees feel knocked over. We need stability, not another threatened or dead leader.  Iran is important.  If Russia is number one and China is number one important, Iran is at least number three.

We cannot forget this iconic view where the President rolled open his prayer mat in the Kremlin