Ali Bagheri Kani was appointed as caretaker foreign minister following the death of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a helicopter crash along with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday.
Bagheri Kani, 56, was serving as deputy of political affairs for Amir Abdollahian. Kani acted as Iran’s chief negotiator for reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.
Ali Bagheri Kani was also part of the Iranian negotiating team when Saeed Jalili, then secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was in charge of handling the nuclear talks with the European trio – Germany, Britain and France – and the United States during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Earlier, Iranian state media confirmed today that President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, initiating a series of constitutional procedures to fill the presidential position.
According to Iranian law, if a president dies in office, Article 131 stipulates that the first vice president—currently Mohammad Mokhber—assumes the presidency, pending confirmation by the supreme leader, who holds ultimate authority over state matters in Iran.
Additionally, a council comprising the first vice president, the speaker of parliament, and the head of the judiciary must organize an election for a new president within 50 days.
Here are some key facts about Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran’s first vice president who became interim president following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash:
