Jessica Yellin Instagram – “The Butcher of Tehran” is Dead Iran state media confirms  Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash in extremely foggy conditions. He was returning from the unveiling of a new dam on the border with East Azerbaijan.  Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and two other government officials were among those on the helicopter.  Raisi’s death is being celebrated by Iranian ex-pats across the west and — as the video shows — by some brave Iranians inside the country as well.  He was a cleric and served as a “judge” in 1988, condemning at least 5000 political prisoners to death. And that’s the tip of the iceberg of his gruesome despotic  legacy.  He was not the most senior leader in Iran. He reported to the Supreme Leader who is still in charge. But these multiple deaths will no doubt create instability when Iran is already under pressure. It’s late. Read the Monday newsletter. We’ll get into more there. If you have specific questions for us to answer in the newsletter, please post them in comments.