Following the announcement of the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation in a helicopter crash, who is Iran's First Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber (68 years old), who is expected to become the acting president according to the country's constitution? Here are some key facts:
- As acting president and a member of a three-person council alongside the Speaker of Parliament and the head of the judiciary, Mokhber will arrange for new presidential elections within 50 days of the president's death.
- Mokhber was born on September 1, 1955, and like Raisi, is considered close to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters. Mokhber became the First Vice President in 2021 when Raisi was elected to the presidency.
- Reportedly, in October, Mokhber was part of a team of Iranian officials who visited Moscow and agreed to supply the Russian military with ground-to-ground missiles and more drones. The rest of the team included two senior Revolutionary Guard officials and a member of the Supreme National Security Council.
- Mokhber previously headed the Setad investment fund associated with the Supreme Leader.
- In 2010, the European Union listed Mokhber among individuals and entities subject to sanctions due to his alleged involvement in "nuclear activities and ballistic missile activities." Two years later, the bloc removed his name from that list.
- In 2013, the U.S. Treasury added Setad and 37 companies overseen by the fund to the list of entities subject to U.S. sanctions.
