Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died in a helicopter crash, state media reported Monday.
Iranian state television reported there was “no sign of life” at the crash site of the helicopter that carried Raisi, Amirabdollahian, and others.
“All the passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred,” semi-official news agency Mehr News reported.
Drone footage published on state media FARS News Agency showed the chopper’s wreckage on a steep hillside.
“The consequences of this are probably going to be rather contained,” Ali Ahmadi, executive fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.”
President Raisi was a fairly marginal figure in national security decision, said Ahmadi, adding that Iranian foreign policy is principally governed by the Office of the Supreme Leader and the Iranian military. “The overall outline of Iranian foreign policy is not likely to change significantly.”
Raisi was returning after inaugurating a dam on Iran’s common border with the Azerbaijan Republic, when his helicopter crashed upon landing in northern Iran’s Varzaqan region on Sunday evening local time, according to state news agency IRNA.
East Azerbaijan’s governor, Malik Rahmati, and Raisi’s security detail were also in the helicopter.
The president’s convoy included three helicopters, two of which landed safely, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Communication with Raisi’s chopper was cut off about half an hour into the flight, Iran’s Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri said. Raisi was travelling to Tabriz city to launch an oil project.
Inclement weather conditions and impassibility of the area had hampered search and rescue operations, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps’ chief Pirhossein Koulivand, reportedly said.
Turkey and Russia had sent aircraft to help with the search operations.
Raisi, 63, a hardline, conservative politician was elected president in 2021 after failing to get into the office in 2017.
An established political heavyweight, he was seen as a contender to succeed supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. As president, he cracked down on dissent at home.
Who are the other officials killed in the helicopter crash?
Several senior Iranian officials were also killed alongside Raisi in the helicopter crash in the Dizmar forest, located between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in East Azerbaijan province.
The officials include:
- Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian
- East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati
- Representative of the Iranian supreme leader in East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem
- Head of presidential guard Mehdi Mousavi
- The helicopter’s pilot, co-pilot and crew
Raisi and his companions were returning from an event with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev when the crash happened.
Former Iranian FM Zarif posts message of condolences
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has expressed his condolences on the “martyrdom” of his successor Hossein Amirabdollahian along with President Raisi.
Zarif described Amirabdollahian as “my dear brother”.
In a message posted on Instagram, Zarif wrote that news of the accident was “painful”.
“I wish God’s pleasure for the martyrs, peace and patience for the survivors, and solidarity and progress for the Iranian people.
Here’s what happened so far
If you are just joining us, here’s a look at the main developments overnight:
- Iran’s President Raisi has been confirmed dead after a helicopter carrying him and other officials crashed in a mountainous and forested area of the country in poor weather.
- Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will assume powers after Raisi’s death.
- According to the Iranian Constitution, in case of the president’s death or incapacity, the first vice president will take over until an election is held within a maximum period of 50 days.
- Also killed in the crash was Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, an experienced diplomat who helped secure the recent rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
India’s Narendra Modi says he is shocked by ‘tragic’ death of Raisi
The Indian prime minister said he was “deeply saddened” by Raisi’s death, adding that the late Iranian president contributed “to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship”.
“My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India
stands with Iran in this time of sorrow,” Modi wrote in a social media
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