Mohammad Mokhber, who will take charge of Iran as intermin president following the death of Ebrahim Raisi, was sanctioned by the EU for alleged involvement in "nuclear or ballistic missile activities" in 2010.
An investment fund headed by Mokhber that was linked to the Supreme Leader was also placed on a list of sanctioned entities by the US Treasury Department in 2010, Reuters has reported.
Mokhber himself was removed from the EU sanctions list in 2012.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwestern East Azerbaijan province on Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the regime’s representative in East Azerbaijan and Malek Rahmati, the province’s governor, were also killed, along with the pilot and co-pilot.
They were returning from an inauguration ceremony for a dam built jointly by Iran and Azerbaijan on the Aras River.
An Israeli official told Reuters that the Jewish state was not involved in the incident, saying that “it wasn’t us.” There was no official reaction from Jerusalem.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei confirmed on Monday that First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would temporarily take charge of the executive branch and has up to 50 days to hold elections, Tehran’s official IRNA reported.
The Islamic Republic's terror proxies Hamas and Hezbollah issued statements mourning Raisi.
“These leaders supported the legitimate struggle of our people against the Zionist entity, provided valued support to the Palestinian resistance, and made tireless efforts in solidarity and support in all forums and fields for our people in the steadfast Gaza Strip during the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas said, referring to the war it launched on October 7 when it led an assault on the northwestern Negev, killing, wounding and kidnapping thousands of civilians and soldiers.
“They also made significant political and diplomatic efforts to stop the Zionist aggression against our Palestinian people,” the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate with close ties to the regime in Tehran added.
Hezbollah, Iran's terrorist proxy in Lebanon, eulogized Raisi as a "protector of resistance movements."
“Hezbollah in Lebanon extends its deepest condolences,” the group said, adding that the Iranian president was “a strong supporter, and a staunch defender of our causes … and a protector of the resistance movements.”
Raisi, known as the “Butcher of Tehran” for his role in the 1988 executions of 30,000 political prisoners, was elected president in 2021. The hardline leader has repeatedly called for the destruction of the State of Israel.
He succeeded Hassan Rouhani, who served eight years in the office—from 2013 to 2021.