Iran’s president has died in a helicopter crash, state media reports

In this photograph provided by Moj News Agency, rescue teams are seen connected Sunday adjacent nan tract of nan incident of nan chopper carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi successful Varzaghan successful northwestern Iran. (Azin Haghighi/AP)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, nan country’s overseas curate and different officials were declared dead from a chopper crash, Iranian authorities media said connected Monday.

The Iranian government held an emergency meeting following nan announcement of Raisi’s decease and afterward Iran’s ultimate leader, Ali Khamenei, named First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber arsenic acting president. Khamenei besides announced 5 days of mourning would return spot successful nan country.

The clang near Iran without 2 of its astir pivotal negotiated figures arsenic location tensions stay precocious from nan ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Iranian state-run media announced Raisi’s decease successful a post on Monday, on pinch nan deaths of Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, nan politician of Iran’s East Azerbaijan state and different authorities officials who were aboard nan helicopter.

No contiguous origin for nan clang was provided, but authorities media released images online showing what it called was nan wreckage from nan chopper nan group was walking in. The chopper collapsed successful foggy conditions successful a mountainous area successful bluish Iran arsenic they returned from an arena on Iran’s separator pinch Azerbaijan.

Immediate world guidance came from Iran’s neighbors. Pakistan’s government announced it would observe a time of mourning complete nan news. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to Khamenei, Russian authorities media reported.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is shown placing his hands connected his bosom arsenic a motion of respect to nan crowd during nan ceremonial ceremony of nan victims of a explosive detonation successful nan metropolis of Kerman, Iran, connected Jan. 5, 2024. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Rescue teams searched intensely for nan helicopter

Earlier, IRNA reported that nan president of nan Iranian Red Crescent Society confirmed that rescue and hunt teams had identified Raisi’s helicopter.

On Sunday, Iran’s Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, said a “hard landing” of nan president’s chopper and said nan search-and-rescue cognition were underway, according to IRNA.

IRNA reported that 2 passengers connected nan formation had communicated pinch rescue workers. Twenty rescue teams, including drones and dogs, had been sent to nan scene, and nan Iranian subject had besides deployed troops to assistance successful nan rescue effort, IRNA added.

The Fars News Agency posted what it said was video footage of rescue teams that had been dispatched to nan area. Earlier successful nan day, nan Iranian government’s X account posted an image of Raisi seated adjacent to Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, astatine nan opening of a reservoir on nan separator betwixt nan 2 countries.

Raisi was elected successful 2021 and is simply a comparative hard-liner

A erstwhile cleric and judge, Raisi was elected president successful 2021.

When he came into office, Raisi said Iran would proceed to grant its atomic woody pinch nan U.S., contempt then-President Donald Trump’s determination to propulsion retired of nan statement successful 2018.

Still, Raisi has been viewed arsenic much of a hard-liner than his predecessor, erstwhile Iranian president Hassan Rouhani.

Last month, Raisi celebrated Iran’s attack on Israel pursuing an airstrike successful Damascus that killed 7 members of nan Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran blamed Israel for nan bombing, but Israel ne'er claimed responsibility. Israel said it and its friends intercepted 99% of nan missiles and drones Iran fired during its retaliatory strike.

Iran’s president is nan caput of its government, but nan state is ruled by Khamenei, its ultimate leader.

Iran’s ultimate leader sets nationalist policies and supervises their implementation and besides controls nan Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and constabulary force, according to nan Council connected Foreign Relations.

Iran’s constitution dictates that if nan president dies while successful office, nan first vice president takes complete pinch nan support of nan country’s ultimate leader, Reuters reported. A caller predetermination must past beryllium held wrong 50 days.