Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others, died in a helicopter crash in foggy weather near the Azerbaijan border.
The wreckage was found early Monday after an overnight search. Raisi, a 63-year-old hardliner, lost contact with the aircraft in fog-covered mountains. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber as interim president and Ali Bagheri Kani as acting foreign minister, announcing five days of public mourning.
The crash occurred near Jolfa, about 375 miles northwest of Tehran, as Raisi traveled in East Azerbaijan province. More than 70 rescue teams were deployed, with resources from the Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards. Raisi had been in Azerbaijan inaugurating a dam with President Ilham Aliyev.
International reactions included condolences and support from Iraq, Qatar, and regional rival Saudi Arabia. The EU and the US also followed the incident closely. Raisi, a protégé of Khamenei and former judiciary head, had been Iran’s president since 2021.
His tenure was marked by severe sanctions, mass protests, and controversial policies, including high-level uranium enrichment and support for proxy groups in the Middle East.
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