❗️Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and expressed condolences to the Iranian people over the death of the president, the Kremlin said.

The two sides stressed their mutual commitment to further consistent strengthening of comprehensive Russian-Iranian cooperation.

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Late Iran foreign minister’s drive to bolster ties with Saudi Arabia was ‘thorn in Israel’s side’ – professor

In terms of the consequences of the passing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister, “let’s not forget Hossein Ameer Abdullahian was a seasoned diplomat,” Dr Alexander Azadgan, US-based professor of International Political Economy and chief geopolitical counsel with the Serbian Center for Strategic Studies, told Sputnik.

Ameer Abdullahian was “quite instrumental in his shuttle diplomacy in bringing Iran and Saudi Arabia together, a thorn at the side of Israel,” Azadgan stressed.

“Many, perhaps, may not be aware of the tremendous hard work and diplomacy that Dr Ameer Abdullahian played in terms of avoiding war between Iran and Azerbaijan. It's so ironic that this helicopter crashed at the Iran-Azerbaijan border,” the professor added.

According to him, “It's fascinating, how important of a role this country [Iran] has in the grand geopolitical games. Iran is a signatory to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and it has just became a member of the BRICS”, which also includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

“Iran wants to be instrumental in the Road and Belt initiative of the Chinese. Iran has very close relationship with Russia. And we all know the tremendous tension between Iran and the US during the past 45 years,” Azadgan said.

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⚡️Julian Assange wins right to appeal extradition case, says London High Court.

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Who is Iran's Interim President Mohammad Mokhber?

After confirming the news of President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash and following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's approval, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has assumed the duties of the president during the next 50 days until elections are held.

🟠 Mohammad Mokhber was born in 1955 in the city of Dizful;

🟠 He served as an officer in the Revolutionary Guard medical corps during the Iran-Iraq war;

🟠 The official holds a doctorate in economic development management and planning, as well as another in international law;

🟠 He also served as vice president of commercial affairs at Setad Investment Foundation;

🟠 In 2010, the EU imposed sanctions on Mokhber and seven other Iranian nationals for ties to the country's ballistic missile program, but removed Mokhber from the sanctions list two years later. In 2021, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on him for his role in Iran's financial system;

🟠 In 2021, he became the first vice president of the country.

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Looking back on presidents and national leaders who were victims of plane disasters. Pt.1

On May 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash in the Islamic Republic’s East Azerbaijan province. Sputnik has compiled a list of high-profile air crashes involving head of states, along with information on the possible West's involvement in some of these catastrophes.

▪️April 10, 2010. Polish President Lech Kaczynski tragically perished in a plane crash near the Russian city of Smolensk. An investigation conducted by Warsaw officials determined that the accident was a result of errors made by the crew and inadequate flight planning. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Tu-154.

▪️April 6, 1994. President of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira lost their lives after their plane transporting them was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The culprits were not identified. This served as a catalyst for one of the most brutal chapters in recent history - the genocide of the Tutsi people, who were wrongly held responsible for the assassination of the Rwandan leader. The aircraft involved was a Dassault Falcon 50.

▪️August 17, 1988. Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash along with the US Ambassador to Islamabad and the Pakistani intelligence chief responsible for supporting Afghan militants. The exact cause of this accident remains a mystery, since the plane’s black box was never found. The aircraft involved was a Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

▪️July 31, 1981. Panama revolutionary leader General Omar Torrijos tragically died in a plane crash. Despite allegations by global public opinion, including the USSR, that the US was involved, the cause of the crash remains unresolved. This suspicion arose due to Torrijos having previously been successful in stripping Washington of its control over the Panama Canal, which it had held since 1903.
The aircraft involved was a De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.

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Looking back on presidents and national leaders who were victims of plane disasters. Pt.2

▪️January 24, 1974. Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema survived a plane crash. He claimed that the accident was actually an act of sabotage, following his decision to abandon talks with French companies over phosphate mines. He believed his survival was a result of divine intervention, and subsequently ordered the construction of a monument at the crash site.
The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Douglas C-47.

▪️April 13, 1966. Iraqi President Abdul Salam Mohammed ʿArif al-Jumayli tragically died in a plane crash near Basra. Some investigators suggested that the crash may have been the result of sabotage by Baath sympathizers. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a de Havilland DH.104 Dove 1.

▪️February 17, 1959. Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes miraculously survived a plane crash while en route to London in order to finalize an agreement on Cyprus with the United Kingdom and Greece. The investigation into the crash was unable to determine the cause of the accident. The aircraft model involved in the disaster was a Viscount Type 793.

▪️March 17, 1957. Philippine President Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay, accompanied by several journalists, perished in a plane crash on his journey back to Manila. The sole survivor of the crash, Nestor Mata, went on to become a well-known journalist in the Philippines. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Douglas C-47 Skytrain.

▪️September 7, 1940. Jose Felix Estigarribia Insaurralde, the 34th President of Paraguay and a prominent war leader, along with his spouse Julia Miranda Cueto, tragically died in a plane crash while en route from Altos to his residence in San Bernardino. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Potez 25 TOE.

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German FM Annalena Baerbock has demanded criminal prosecution over a tweet that labeled her the "world's dumbest foreign minister" and accused her of obstructing peace talks.

The message was anonymously transmitted to the internet portal “Hessen gegen Hetze” and, after an investigation, reached the desk of the foreign minister. Baerbock, having read it, decided to sue the user and signed a statement to initiate a criminal case.

What do the Germans themselves think about this:

🔸I can't wait for the court to finally confirm that she can be called that.

🔸Only now she will have to come to terms with the fact that God and the whole world are happy to report that she was called “the stupidest foreign minister in the world.”

🔸To prove otherwise, she would have to appoint a stupider foreign minister.

🔸German politicians and the state have turned into a pathetic chaos. They made it illegal to speak your mind.

🔸It's truly terrible that politicians hold ordinary citizens accountable for harmless remarks.

🔸It's incredible that this happens in Germany.

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International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor announces applications for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant in the context of the situation in the State of Palestine, according to the ICC's tweet.

The ICC also intends to seek the arrest of Al-Qassam Brigades commander Mohammed Al-Deif and Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh.

According to the ICC, they are all responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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Hossein Amir Abdollahian as head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry: What will he be remembered for?

Abdollahian took over the post of foreign minister with the accession of President Ebrahim Raisi in 2021. Together, they built Iran's up-to-date foreign policy.

Sputnik has collected some of his most important moments to remember:

◾️Before coming to the post of foreign minister, Abdollahian specialized in relations with Arab countries;

◾️With his work, it became possible to normalize relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023, which had been extremely tense for several decades. At the same time, the two countries were able to establish bilateral trade and economic cooperation and also agreed on mutual understanding in matters of regional security;

◾️Iran became a member of the SCO (2023) and BRICS (2024);

◾️ In 2023, key visits to Moscow and Beijing took place for the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. On May 14, a few days before his death, Abdollahian announced Iran’s desire to develop a partnership with India within the SCO and BRICS;

◾️With the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in 2022, he openly expressed support for Russia. In negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in 2023, Abdollahian emphasized the “record figures with 20% growth” of trade turnover;

◾️Abdollahian regularly criticized the work of the UN Security Council - in particular due to its failure to put pressure on Israel and promptly help the Gaza population during current war;

◾️He was distinguished by sharp criticism of the policies of the collective West - primarily the US and Israel. In particular, he accused the US of "publicly supporting the killing of thousands of children and women in the Gaza Strip" by Israel;

◾️After the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Abdollahian promised "a proportionate response". A week after the strike, he personally flew to Damascus to open a new consulate in Syria.

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Zelensky emerges as ‘first obstacle’ to peaceful resolution of Ukrainian conflict

Next month's conference at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland, touted by its organizers as an event to further the peace process in Ukraine, will most definitely be anything but a peace summit, says Swiss MP and former executive director of the Geneva Press Club Guy Mettan.

“The deliberate rejection of Russia is now jeopardizing the success of the meeting and returning against its organizers,” Mettan tells Sputnik, pointing out that Russia was not invited to participate in the conference.

“Aware of this problem, the Swiss official narrative is now trying to put forward that Russia didn’t wish to participate and that its absence came from its own decision, which is false and will not mislead anybody outside the collective West.”

According to Mettan, the countries of the Global South may end up sending their representatives to this gathering, though they will likely dispatch “medium-level participants with no-decision power, in order to avoid being accused of being ‘against the peace’ or of ‘boycotting the West’.”

“For the Global South, the present questions are: why should it participate in a summit which is no longer a summit, which is not focused on peace due to the non-invitation of Russia, and which will certainly be a failure?” he adds.

Mettan also argues that Kiev regime head Zelensky is in fact opposed to the “real negotiation process" as he signed a decree banning any peace talks with Russia and with his so-called peace formula essentially calling for Russia’s capitulation.

“He is the first obstacle to any peace negotiation. If he comes to Switzerland, it would be for receiving the support of his Western supporters and to get more aid for the war. Not for peace,” Mettan remarks.

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A mourning rally in memory of the deceased Iranian president is taking place in the center of Tehran

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