Iran's "strong roots" avert turmoil after president's death: Defense Minister

Shafaq News/ Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani on Sunday said that the country's "strong roots" would prevent any instability following the unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash last week.

"The structure of our system is cohesive and strong, and the presence of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ali Khamenei] at the helm of this structure protects the country from any disruption," Ashtiani told reporters. "Our people have fundamentally embraced Islam and Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), and therefore, as it was during Imam Khomeini's era, this country will not be harmed as long as it moves in the direction of Islam and religious governance."

The Iranian Defense Minister said the government and all state institutions continue to function normally in spite of the tragedy. "There is a level of authority and strength in the Islamic Republic of Iran's system that has enabled it to withstand any incident, as its roots are strong because of the Islamic Revolution."

The helicopter carrying the Iranian president, foreign minister, and several officials crashed in a mountainous region in the north of the country amid harsh weather conditions. The incident occurred while the president was returning from a ceremony he attended the previous Sunday with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to inaugurate a joint dam on the Aras River, which forms the border between the two countries.

The announcement of the 63-year-old Iranian president's demise along followed an extensive search operation involving dozens of rescue teams working amidst dense fog and strong winds.