Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and several other high-ranking officials have died in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran, state media reported on Sunday.
The crash claimed the lives of East Azarbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, East Azarbaijan Imam of Friday Prayer Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, and additional passengers. President Raisi was en route to the city of Tabriz after visiting the Iran-Azerbaijan border area when the helicopter encountered heavy fog and crashed.
State news agency IRNA stated, “Upon the martyrdom of the president and the minister of foreign affairs, the government cabinet convened an urgent meeting.” According to Iranian law, in the event of the president’s death, the first vice president, with the Supreme Leader’s approval, assumes the president’s duties. Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is expected to step in.
Al Jazeera reported that the helicopter’s wreckage was severely burned, making identification difficult. Drone footage aired by state media showed the crash site on a steep, wooded hillside, with the helicopter mostly destroyed except for its tail.
The wreckage was located on the route from Khoylar village to Kelem. Rescue teams initially struggled to find the crash site but eventually discovered the helicopter’s blades and wings on a hill. The Iranian Red Crescent confirmed that the helicopter’s cabin was extensively damaged and that there were no survivors.
The helicopter was carrying nine people, including three officials, an imam, and members of the flight and security teams. This incident marks a tragic and unprecedented loss for Iran’s leadership.
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