Tehran has stressed political continuity, even as analysts caution that a ‘harsh struggle’ is expected in the race to become Iran’s next president.

The United States said that arch-enemy Iran sought assistance over a helicopter crash that killed president Ebrahim Raisi, as Washington meanwhile offered condolences.

Three former US foreign policy officials in Donald Trump’s administration met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other public figures in Israel.

Iran proclaimed five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi, though the muted atmosphere revealed little of the spectacular public grief that accompanied the deaths of other senior figures.

While Raisi’s death is unlikely to affect foreign policy, Iran lacks charismatic candidates to succeed him and eventually Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, experts say.

Ultimate power in Tehran rests in the supreme leader and Iran has proven resilient to repeated shocks, observers say.

Mohammad Mokhber is expected to serve as caretaker president for some 50 days before mandatory presidential elections in Iran.

Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday aged 63, was contender to succeed Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s president was declared dead on Monday after rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded western mountain region.

Iran’s first vice-president, Mohammad Mokhber, could become president in the event of Ebrahim Raisi’s death, according to protocol.

Search and rescue teams scoured a fog-shrouded mountain area after President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday.

The US$370 million project is key to New Delhi’s plans to ramp up trade with Central Asia and promote it as a counterweight to Beijing’s growing economic presence in the region.

The alleged drone shoot down comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza.

Malaysia is “playing a dangerous game” as US attention over alleged illicit money flows is often a precursor to harsh measures if remediation is not quick and clear, analysts say.

After being sentenced to eight years in prison, the award-winning Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof says he’s fled to Europe shortly ahead of the Cannes Film Festival premiere of his latest film.

Middle East veteran Chang Hua makes the move after Beijing brokered a deal between the two countries to restore diplomatic relations last year.

Success of the US$17 billion Iraq Development Road depends on Iraq-Turkey ties, which have been fraught over oil exports and militant issues, analysts say.

The concerns come as a US delegation in Kuala Lumpur holds talks with officials over Tehran’s alleged underhanded selling of oil through service providers.

The US Treasury’s top sanctions official said Washington saw Iranian oil being transferred near Singapore and throughout the wider region.

Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands.

Malaysia has been accused by the West of helping Tehran evade sanctions through the supply of Iranian oil to China via a “dark fleet” in its waters.

Israel’s prime minister denounced a ‘volcano of antisemitism’ and international criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Brian Nelson, the Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will visit the region as Washington looks to combat funding for Iran and its proxies as well as evasion of its sanctions on Russia.

The arrival of Russian personnel in the West African country came in the wake of a decision by Niger’s junta to expel US forces from the country.

The visit by John Bass to Islamabad comes a week after Iran and Pakistan held talks on restarting their long-delayed gas pipeline.