Western media has been quick to forecast that doom and gloom will overtake the future of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the tragic death of its President, Foreign Minister and a number of senior officials in a helicopter crash.

From the moment news broke about the helicopter incident, and confirmation received that on board was President Ebrahim Raisi along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and colleagues, speculative reports by western media began. 

Unsurprisingly many if not most, veered towards reviving old discredited stereotypes on Iran as they sought to mask their so-called "objectivity" by falsely depicting the Islamic Republic as weak, unstable and on the verge of collapse. 

Among the loaded messages conveyed to confuse and confound readers and viewers of mainstream media are untested sentiments such as "uncertainty surrounds the country's succession and foreign policy...", and "there is underlying nervousness about what's next". 

American hostility also emerged as expected from the Biden administration whose animosity towards Iran is not a secret. 

In its kneejerk response, the White House painted president Raisi as "... responsible for Iran's support for terrorist networks throughout the region" and added that he had "a lot of blood on his hands". 

Quite bizarre that America whose president has been dubbed as #GenocideJoe for being directly complicit in the brutal massacre and slaughter of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, is oblivious of the harsh reality of the blood of thousands of innocent mothers and babies on Biden’s hands. 

Contrast this subjective western pessimism with the message of confidence delivered by the Leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran Sayyed Ali Khamenei. 

While funeral processions are underway in different parts of the country, he addressed the Assembly of Experts on Tuesday in the presence of several government officials and foreign ambassadors. 

It is important to note that the Assembly of Experts is one of the most important institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

He reaffirmed that it epitomizes "the embodiment of Islamic popular sovereignty."

Sayyed Khamenei further emphasized that "selecting the leader according to Islamic principles is the council's responsibility" and reiterated that "the people's choice, per Islamic standards, is the most significant gauge of the Islamic Republic."

In keeping with the strong foundational underpinning of the Islamic Republic's Islamic ethos and principles, Sayyed Khamenei 

urged the global community to examine the unsuccessful endeavors of regimes that purportedly champion justice and freedom, but diverge from religious and moral principles. 

Though the collective West has been hard pressed to acknowledge Iran's stability and remarkable growth despite decades of malicious sanctions, third force destabilisers, Mossad's assassinations of nuclear scientists and more, the confident ability to transit leadership following Raisi's untimely death, is an indicator of how solid the Islamic Republic is. 

Indeed in contrast to Western prejudice and hate, Iran's revolutionary status in the Global South, and the enormous role of both Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in crafting moves away from an American dominated unipolar world, has earned it enormous respect. 

No surprise therefore to hear President Xi Jinping calling the “tragic death” of Raisi “a great loss to the Iranian people and the Chinese people have lost a good friend”, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Al Jazeera's compilation of tributes (below), provide insight on the level of respect Raisi enjoyed as a statesman and leader. 

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was deeply saddened by the news of the tragedy, and noted he has the honour of meeting Raisi last November. 

"His dedication to justice, peace, and the upliftment of the Ummah was truly inspiring. We committed ourselves to bolstering Malaysia-Iran relations, working together for the betterment of our peoples and the Muslim world. Our pledge will be fulfilled," Ibrahim said. 

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed condolences over the death of two top officials he called “reliable friends” of Russia.

“Their role in strengthening mutually beneficial Russian-Iranian cooperation and trusting partnership is invaluable,” Lavrov said.

Vladimir Putin joined Lavrov in offering Tehran condolences.

“Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was dedicated to serving his homeland,” Putin said in a letter to Sayyed Khamenei, published on the Kremlin’s website.

“As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good-neighbourly relations between our countries, and made great efforts to take them to the level of a strategic partnership," he added. 

None of this will be music for the West. Neither will it resonate among the genocidaires in the settler colonial apartheid regime of Israel. 

It is undisputed that Israel, especially with the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu at its helm, has been agitating for years on end to destroy the Islamic Republic and return it to the era of the "Peacock Throne", when under the brutal reign of the ex-Shah, Iran was a faithful ally of Zionism. 

To Netanyahu and Biden’s utter dismay, the Islamic Republic since the dawn of its historic revolution led by Imam Khomeini, has emerged as the strongest and most committed supporter of Palestine's freedom struggle. 

Having earned the well deserved mantle as the leader of the "Axis of Resistance", Iran has displayed enormous strength and capacity to advance Palestine's cause, especially in the climate of betrayal and "Normalisation" by Arab regimes. 

That Hamas has praised Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian for supporting Palestine against Israel and expressed confidence that Iran’s “deep-rooted institutions” will overcome “the repercussions of this great loss”, is thus not misplaced. 

Iqbal Jassat, Executive Member, MEDIA REVIEW NETWORK