The death of Iran’s president

The deaths of two of Iran’s top officials brought shock and celebrations from within Iran and among the country’s diaspora. Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were killed along with other officials and crew members when their helicopter crashed traveling from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan. It crashed in thick fog, and search teams struggled to find the crash site for hours because of the weather. 

In Iran, officials declared five days of mourning, with many Iranians gathering to grieve Raisi’s death. But across social media and at protests in Tehran on Monday, people danced in celebration. Raisi was a polarizing figure during his four-decade career in the country’s government, during which he cracked down on political protests. 

Yeganeh Torbati is a financial investigative reporter who is following the aftermath of Raisi’s death. She explains his legacy and what Raisi’s death means on a global scale. 

Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand, with help from Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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