Press reviews
Death of the Iranian President: “Nobody should expect a change of course”
The presidential plane of Iran. Shortly after taking this photo, he apparently lost his way
© UPI Photo / Imago Images
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter crashed after a visit to the border with Azerbaijan. This is how the press comments on current developments.
President of Iran was also called “Butcher of Tehran”.
“Washington Post”: Iran and its people begin a new chapter with the sudden death of President Efrahim Raisi, who throughout his long career stood for brutal oppression and the denial of basic human rights. A change of direction by the regime in Tehran is unlikely, even if change is what the country’s population urgently wants and needs.
“Augsburger Allgemeine”: “The spiritual leader and most powerful man in Iran, Ali Khamenei, is doing everything he can to downplay the significance of the president’s death for the regime. Ebrahim Raisi was considered a possible successor to the aged revolutionary leader. Nervousness is growing. Nobody should expect a change of course. Anything other than an extremely limited selection of hardliners on the ballot paper would be a sensation. This means that voter turnout will once again be disastrously low for the regime – refusal as a globally visible signal against the ossified theocracy.”
“New Osnabrücker Zeitung”: “It’s an astonishing faux pas: a suspected mass murderer dies, and the EU Council President Charles Michel speaks of ‘the EU’s sincerest condolences’ and adds: ‘Our thoughts are with the relatives.’ Really? The thoughts of the EU and Charles Michels in these hours after the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi should be with the living people who are protesting against the violent regime at risk to life and limb and who are now cheering this death around the world among the dead: Since the mass executions for which he was allegedly responsible in 1988, Raisi has been nicknamed ‘The Butcher of Tehran’ among opposition activists.”
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: “Even in the past, Iranian presidents had little room for maneuver. Because all power lies with the revolutionary leader [Ali Chamenei]. It is this who ensures that the country continues to indulge in fantasies of annihilation against Israel, destabilizes the region by arming militias and puts pressure on the West with its nuclear program. None of this is likely to change for the time being. Iran will only be at a crossroads when Khamenei dies at some point. Khamenei is likely to control the upcoming new presidential election as closely as Raisi’s election in 2021. There are therefore unlikely to be any surprises. However, the legitimacy of the regime will continue to erode. If citizens are not given a choice, they will stay away from the polls.”
“Rhein-Zeitung” (Koblenz): “Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced a tougher approach after the attack on Israel. The Green Party has so far failed to implement it. Furthermore, the example of Iran shows how quickly Baerbock’s feminist foreign policy can get into serious conflicts of interest. A year ago the Green Party was pretty “silent when the Iranians protested courageously. Raisi’s death should now serve to critically question Germany’s course towards the country.”
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“Munich Merkur”: “The butcher of Tehran is dead. Condolences from the West are dutiful and ring hollow. It would also have been better for the EU representatives to extend their condolences to the families of the tens of thousands of victims that Iran’s president murdered in the course of his blood-soaked career According to our values, Raisi’s death is not a cause for celebration, but an occasion to remember what the victims suffered under the Iranian regime of old men.”