BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. The US will be supporting the Iranian people's ability to express their fundamental freedoms in the upcoming presidential elections, the US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said during a briefing, Trend reports.
"One of the points we made in the statement that we've got, the short two-sentence statement, was Iran will be selecting a new president right now, and as they go through that process, we will be supporting the Iranian people's ability to express their fundamental freedoms. Now, we've seen those freedoms crack down on again and again, and it's not just the freedom to exercise their vote, it's their freedom of speech, it's other fundamental freedoms. We will look at this the same way we have looked at past instances of crackdowns by the regime or by allies of the regime to the Iranian people exercising their fundamental rights, and if there are steps that are appropriate for us to take to hold people accountable for those actions, we will not hesitate to do so," he said.
On May 19, a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tabriz Province Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim, and East Azerbaijan Province Governor-General Malek Rahmati crashed while flying from Khudafarin to Tabriz.
Following the crash, communication with the helicopter crew was established twice, but it was subsequently lost. The Iranian President and the entire accompanying delegation were confirmed dead.
Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei said that the new Iranian president should be elected within the next 50 days.
According to him, following Article 131 of Iran's Constitution, Iran's First Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, will serve as the acting president.
The Iranian Supreme Leader emphasized that the first vice president, the chairman of the judiciary, and the chairman of the parliament should take steps to hold a presidential election.