This is the helicopter taking off to return to iran. The other two reached their destination safely, but irans Interior Minister said on sunday that the president s aircraft had experience a hard landing and communication had been lost. Several countries have offered to help in the search, which was been hampered by bad weather as you can see from these pictures issued by the azerbaijan red crescent society. Overnight, turkey launched a drone to search for the missing helicopter. This map tracks its progress you can see where it concentrated its search. In the early hours of the morning, turkey said it had identified a source of heat, which it suspected to be the wreckage of a helicopter carrying irans president raisi. It said it had shared the coordinates with the iranian teams. Lets speak to patricia degennaro, professor of International Security at new york university. Welcome to the programme. Thank you for being with us. At this stage we dont have many details, as weve reported, state media in iran reporting that no survivors have been found. If that is indeed confirmed, talk to me about the implications of this for iran to lose its president. I think for any country to lose its president. I think for any country to to lose its president. I think for any country to lose to lose its president. I think for any country to lose a for any country to lose a president you are going to have some chaos. This is quite a tragedy for any country, and condolences to the families, and i think these are people so we have to keep that in mind. But i think for any country thatis but i think for any country that is going to be some chaos and a morning period. Then there is going to be some real shuffling about how they go about adhering to the constitution, with dry think, and your audience has heard over and over, will be a vote in 50 days, and then until then the Vice President will take over, and i think it is really indicative of everything is the words that came straight from the Supreme LeaderAyatollah Khamenei, saying he has everything under control and nothing is going to change. So thatis nothing is going to change. So that is a direct message to the population, if anyone is thinking about speaking out or demonstrating law even celebrating such a tragedy. So i think he was pretty clear about that, and that should be keptin about that, and that should be kept in mind as far as any chaos that happens with in the country itself. Country itself. Yes, and you are right country itself. Yes, and you are right to country itself. Yes, and you are right to point country itself. Yes, and you are right to point to country itself. Yes, and you are right to point to that. Are right to point to that statement, saying nothing will change. But i wonder, at this stage, given irans involvement in politics in the region, what are potential fallouts of this, and does it actually changed irans position in the region is such a Regional Power . I think it will change very little, you know, that will depend on who we see being brought forward for the elections, the upcoming elections. I think we are not going to know right away. It will certainly be someone that Ayatollah Khamenei decides upon, and i think things are probably going to remain more on a hard line trajectory. So i think we are not going to see much change, and we are already seeing a lot of. Basically china and russia are covering this very closely. It is all over their own media, so i think they will work to remain and have the situation, have the place of iran where it has been and it will continue to be within the International Community that is on the anti west, so to speak range. Patricia, stay with us. Ijust want to run through what we know about president Ebrahim Raisi as well. Lets explain a bit about his background and rolling iran. Background and his role in iran. He was born in 1960, and as a teenager, took part in the protests against the shah, who ruled iran with the backing of western nations, including the us. When the shah was overthrown in 1979, he rose quickly within the new regime, headed by the ayatollah khomeini. Aged just 25, he became the Deputy Prosecutor in tehran. Its believed he sat on secret tribunals thousands of Political Prisoners to death. Mr raisi remained a leading figure in iranian politics, and in 2021, he won the president ial election. Observers say many moderate and reformist candidates were not allowed to stand, and the turnout was low. He is seen as a conservative, hardline cleric, and under his presidency, hes had to deal with widespread Anti Government protests, including those against the obligatory wearing by women of a head covering. There has also been International Isolation over irans suspected Nuclear Programme and he has overseen irans support of hamas in the war in gaza. Lets bring patricia back in. Patricia degennaro, a former professor of International Security at new york university. Having explained that and what we know about the president , what do we talk to me about how a radio politics works. The significance of the difference in the power between the president and the Supreme Leader. I president and the Supreme Leader. ~ ,. ,. , leader. I think you have set it riaht leader. I think you have set it right there leader. I think you have set it right there. You leader. I think you have set it right there. You have leader. I think you have set it right there. You have a leader. I think you have set it i right there. You have a Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei makes all the decisions, he is the Commander In Chief so to speak. The president is usually more responsible with Domestic Affairs and domestic situations, and i think that is why you are seeing a lot of iranians that has spoken out against him. First and foremost because of the problems with the economy, in addition to that, a lot of the crackdowns that, a lot of the crackdowns that have been happening because of the protests, because of the protests, because of the protests, because of anyone that speaks out against the regime of the leadership. So there is a very big vision within the government where it is the Supreme Leader, and then he is the Decision Maker. And again, that goes back to we will see who comes up as president ial candidates, and i think the Supreme Leader and will have a lot to say about her that will be, and it will also be, lot to say about her that will be, and it willalso be, i would assume, someone who is very similar to Ebrahim Raisi and following the same kind of ideals that he has been following, and therefore, getting the support from Ayatollah Khamenei himself. What we are looking at now, patricia, just to explain to viewers what they can see right now on the right of the screen is a live shot coming to us from tabriz in iran, close to whether such has been taking place overnight. You can see the vehicles lined up there. As yet, still the official line we are getting from iranians state tv saying there is no sign of life at the sight of that helicopter crash. Remember, there were three flying in sequence, two of them made it safely to their destination, the third we understand was carrying the president and his home secretary. Sorry, Foreign Minister, i should say, also a board that helicopter. No sign of life is what we are being told. Patricia, just while we say on those pictures, talk to me if you will about the potential line of succession now. Because Ebrahim Raisi was seen potentially as a successor to the Supreme Leader, that is right, isnt it . ~ leader, that is right, isnt it . , leader, that is right, isnt it . ,. , leader, that is right, isnt it . Y , a, , leader, that is right, isnt it . Y, leader, that is right, isnt in y, it . Well, yes, that seems to be what the thought it . Well, yes, that seems to be what the Thought Process it . Well, yes, that seems to be what the Thought Process was l what the Thought Process was and what was coming out of the regime. We will have to document the successor will have two remain to be six remained to be seen because now there is a whole shakeup in the decision making. There has been talk about Ayatollah Khameneis son, i am sure there are other very close hardliners that work very close hardliners that work very closely with him that he will have to look at and make decisions and we will see those decisions and we will see those decisions coming out in the next several days. It is a little too early to speculate on that. I think because you are going to see a morning period that is going to happen before this. I would worry about if i were in the us and environment� s position right now, i would worry about the ircg right now, id worry about whether or not they are going to make some decisions about their operations in iraq and syria, specifically, based on everybody� s now viewing what is happening here and has their eyes on this particular tragedy and event. So i think people should be keeping their eyes on whether or not they are going to go a little road because they dont have eyes on them, so i think that is important geopolitical aspect to look at. And, again, also help the gulf nations are going to respond to this. That is a very important dynamic that we have to Pay Attention to. Attention to. Yes, you are riuht. Attention to. Yes, you are right so attention to. Yes, you are right. So many attention to. Yes, you are right. So many different l attention to. Yes, you are right. So many different power plays in this. Right. So many different power plays in this plays in this. Right, because they have plays in this. Right, because they have been plays in this. Right, because they have been very they have been very instrumental with the saudis and other parties of the decade it has now happened in the gulf. So that is going to be something very important to watch. 2, 2 2, something very important to watch. , watch. Patricia, really grateful watch. Patricia, really grateful for watch. Patricia, really grateful for you watch. Patricia, really grateful for you been | watch. Patricia, really grateful for you been with us. Let us take you now to be busy persias washington correspondent. Lets speak to bbc persian� s washington correspondent khashayarjoneidi. Just repeating the line there is no sign of life at the reps out of that helicopter crash. Do you understand is happening right now crash site. Do you understand is happening right now crash site. Right now crash site. There has been right now crash site. There has been a right now crash site. There has been a very right now crash site. There has been a very long right now crash site. There has been a very long night has been a very long night for the iranians rescue and Search Mission over there in the mountains of iran, trying to locate and identify the crash site. It is a very treacherous terrain, it is a mountainous area, thick forest, and it is very difficult to navigate through the forests. It took them many hours throughout the night and actually with the help of turkey, turkeys drone which they managed to locate the incident area, but it is a developing story, it has been about an hour developing story, it has been aboutan hour orso developing story, it has been about an hour or so that they have identified that they have come to the crash site. Irans a visual media are saying there is no sign of life, and we are still waiting to hear more from them. There were some unofficial accounts about the charred remains of those passengers on board the helicopter. Again, these are unofficial accounts published on Telegram Channels affiliated to certain branches of the rgc, but we havent seen official accounts of that, but the. Everyone was actually thinking there would be news once this comes out in during the morning hours. And we have two wait for the official confirmation of what everybody was waiting about. , 2, what everybody was waiting about. ,. ,, what everybody was waiting about. ,. , about. Just as you are speaking there, about. Just as you are speaking there. We about. Just as you are speaking there, we are about. Just as you are speaking there, we are getting about. Just as you are speaking there, we are getting news there, we are getting news coming from irans newsagency are now being reported by state media confirming, as we said, on media, that the radiant president Ebrahim Raisi has died, along with his Foreign Minister. They say that is where his helicopter crashed. So that coming to us from the radiant media being reported on reuters news agency. You can see there on the screen, the iranians president Ebrahim Raisi confirmed dead along with his Foreign Minister as a result of that rash. Of that crash. Result of that rash. Of that crash. ,. ,. , crash. The Information Will come out. Crash. The Information Will come out, more crash. The Information Will i come out, more information crash. The Information Will. Come out, more information is affected to come out soon. Absolutely. While you are with us, if, as is apparently confirmed on a radiant state media, this death now confirmed, talk to me now about what process will unfold from here. , 2, what process will unfold from here. ,. ,. , here. First, we have to Pay Attention here. First, we have to Pay Attention that here. First, we have to Pay Attention that there here. First, we have to Pay Attention that there will. Here. First, we have to Pay Attention that there will be j here. First, we have to pay i attention that there will be a vacuum of power because the president is not the highest authority in iran, it is the Supreme Leader with the highest authority, the final arbiter, final Decision Maker in terms of foreign policy, internal policy and that he is the Commander In Chief. The president is the Chief Executive of the executive branch. That is what the president s role is. He runs the day by day operations of the day by day operations of the administration. So he is not the main person responsible for the governing of the country, but what happens here is now, according to the iranian constitution, it is upon the first Vice President to take over the responsibilities of the president once the president is incapacitated or is not capable of performing his duties. And then, the first Vice President , in cooperation with the heads of the parliament and the judiciary, are responsible for Holding Election to elect a new president in 50 days. So we will have a morning period in iran. Once this is officially announced there would be a morning period, and that will be followed by the process of those candidates who are interested to run for president to register, have to be vetted by the council, there will be some campaigning period and an election. , ~ some campaigning period and an election. ~. ,. ,. , election. Talk to me about not onl the election. Talk to me about not only the impact election. Talk to me about not only the impact domestically l only the impact domestically and the role of the president in terms of domestic politics, because we know that has not been without its own controversies. But what this means for the Regional Power in the middle east. We know iran is a key player in what is going on there, particularly because that war between israel and gaza. What are the implications is there is a change of resident in iran . I have two mention, in addition to the president , another passenger of that helicopter was the Foreign Minister, hossein amir abdollahian, but i have to add that within the establishment of the islamic republic, Foreign Ministers are not the main players in terms of implementing foreign policy, Policy Making. Of implementing foreign policy, Policy MakingPolicy Making. They are actually Policy Making. They are actually implementing i Policy Making. They are i actually implementing the policies of the system. So when it comes to irans neighbouring countries, especially within the arab world or israel, it is i rgc which is a main player. Although behind the curtains and the Foreign Minister is a person who executes the policies that the regime has decided to follow. It is the same with the president. He is the figurehead but the letter is a main arbiter when it comes