Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Dies in Helicopter Crash Near Azerbaijan Border

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a meeting with the cabinet in Tehran, Iran, October 8, 2023. Iran’s Presidency/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, known for his hardline stance and seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died in a helicopter crash. The tragic incident occurred in the mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media confirmed on Monday.

The charred remains of the helicopter, which crashed on Sunday, were discovered early Monday morning after a grueling overnight search in blizzard conditions. The ill-fated aircraft carried Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six other passengers and crew. “President Raisi, the foreign minister, and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,” a senior Iranian official revealed to Reuters, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. Vice President Mohsen Mansouri later confirmed Raisi’s death on social media and state television. First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is expected to assume the presidency.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian

State media images from the crash site showed the U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter wrecked against a mountain peak, though the cause of the crash remains unconfirmed. Among the dead were the governor of East Azerbaijan Province and a senior imam from Tabriz city. The helicopter went down in the Varzeqan region north of Tabriz as Raisi was returning from an official visit to the Azerbaijan border in Iran’s northwest.

Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021. His tenure was marked by strict enforcement of morality laws, a severe crackdown on anti-government protests, and aggressive nuclear negotiations with world powers. In the wake of his death, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sought to calm the nation, assuring that there would be no disruption to state affairs.

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