Fears that Iran could trigger World War Three remain high following the death of president Ebrahim Raisi as its leaders are determined to pursue the development of a nuclear weapon, an expert claims.
Raisi, 63, yesterday died in a helicopter crash alongside the country's foreign minister in Iran's mountainous East Azerbaijan province. Dubbed "The Butcher of Tehran," the president became known for institutionalising a brutal crackdown on dissent.
While there has been speculation about a potential power struggle following his death, experts have tempered expectations by noting the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains the absolute power in Iran. But Raisi had been seen as a potential successor to the 85-year-old Supreme Leader.
Raisi died in a helicopter crash while flying over western Iran (ALI HAMED/IRNA NEWS AGENCY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Sir Ivor Roberts, senior advisor to United Against Nuclear Iran and a former British diplomat, said Raisi's death would not dent Iran's dictatorial rule. The country has continued to fund terrorist organisations across the Middle East and recently launched a direct attack on Israel.
"Nothing is going to change the regime's course," he told The Sun. "Either the whole regime has to be toppled or it'll just carry on in much the same way. The message from the regime in Iran will be business as usual. But [Raisi] was being groomed as the successor to the supreme leader. And that's what makes what has happened of particular note."
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According to Iran's constitution, Raisi will be replaced by Mohammed Mokhber, 68, who is also close to the Supreme Leader. He is seen as a "safe bet" among the country's leadership as it vows to crack down on dissident groups within its borders who have protested the regime's brutality.
Anti-government protests swept across the country following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in police custody in September, 2022. She had been arrested for so-called improper dress and the United Nations concluded she died as a direct result of beatings. Sir Roberts believes the regime will now "double down" and stamp out any popular dissent in the wake of the president's death.
Raisi is set to be replaced by another close ally of the Supreme Leader (Anadolu via Getty Images)Iran has also shown no signs of scrapping its nuclear programme, which Western leaders believe it is pursuing to develop deadly weapons. Former US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2018, which supporters claimed would prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapon. Opponents to the deal claimed it failed to curtail Iran's nuclear ambitions and arming of terrorists across the Middle East.
"I think they will carry on as clandestinely as they can to develop a nuclear weapon capability," he told The Sun. "Some of the information I've seen suggests that they're, you know, really only months away from being able to do so. The collapse of the nuclear deal with all its imperfections has only encouraged them to carry on, doing it further and faster."
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