Tehran residents react to death of President Raisi and other officials in helicopter crash

(20 May 2024)
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Tehran, Iran - 20 May 2024
1. Various of traffic on road
2. Pedestrians
3. Newspaper showing picture of Ebrahim Raisi, who was found dead on Monday along with other senior official hours after their helicopter crashed
4. Men at newspaper stand
5. Wide of stand
6. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Esmail Mirvahhabi, Tehran resident:
"Definitely he was a popular figure in our country and he is not easy to replace. His absence will always be felt. But I hope people will elect a replacement who will go down the same path as he did."
7. Traffic on road
8. Set-up shot of man on motorcycle, Tehran resident Mahrooz Mohammadi Zadeh
9. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Mahrooz Mohammadi Zadeh, Tehran resident:
"He tried to carry out his duties well but I don't think he was as successful as he should have been. He did carry out his duties, I'm not saying he didn't, but he was a bit weak. I think he didn't put in the necessary amount of effort for the people. That's my feeling."
10. Pedestrians
11. Man looking at headlines
12. Newspaper showing picture of Raisi and headline reading (Farsi): "The nation's tough night"
13. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Behzad Mohammadi, Tehran resident:
"It was disturbing news. It was worrying. We were very sad. I haven't been able to sleep until now. We were worried what could have happened to our esteemed, popular and beloved president and his companions. Well, his destiny was martyrdom (death) and that was very upsetting."
14. Pedestrians
15. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Mohammad Hossein Feiz Haddad, Tehran resident:
"I'm optimistic about the future, and I don't think we are faced with any special problems. Although the pressure is high by adversaries, but we hope that there will be no problems. And certainly, there won't be any, considering our great leader's wisdom and leadership. We have had a lot of such incidents in the past and this one, I think, won't cause any special problems."
16. Traffic on road
STORYLINE:
Tehran residents reacted on Monday to the news of the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and several other officials in a helicopter crash.
The officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported.
Raisi, a hard-line protégé of the country’s supreme leader who helped oversee the mass executions of thousands in 1988 and later led the country as it enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels and launched a major drone-and-missile attack on Israel, was 63.
"He was a popular figure in our country and he is not easy to replace," said Tehran resident Esmail Mirvahhabi.
Raisi’s sudden death in the helicopter crash Sunday in northwestern Iran, came as Iran struggles with internal dissent and its relations with the wider world.
Iran has faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy over the ailing economy and women’s rights - making the moment that much more sensitive for Tehran and the future of the country.
State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
AP video shot by Mohsen Ganji
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