Thabiso Kotane was in conversation with Thembisa Fakude, Senior Fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was declared dead today after rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded western mountain region, sparking mourning in the Islamic republic. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate authority in Iran, declared five days of mourning and assigned Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, to assume interim duties ahead of elections within 50 days.