Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister were killed in a helicopter accident, officials announced.
Raisi, 63, was declared killed by Iranian media today, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Eastern Azerbaijan province Governor Malek Rahmati, and Tabriz's Friday prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem.
The disaster killed two pilots, as well as three additional Iranian leaders and security personnel.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Confirmed Dead
Grainy drone footage from Iranian and Turkish news agencies revealed how the chopper shattered upon landing, and an Iranian official stated that the search crews that discovered the wreckage found "no signs of life."
The Iranian Red Crescent posted footage later this morning of mournful rescuers carrying remains on covered stretchers as they made their way through the forest from the disaster scene.
The nation's cabinet had a "urgent meeting" this morning, leaving Raisi's chair unoccupied and wrapped with a black sash.
According to Iran's constitution, a new presidential election must be called within 50 days.
But Raisi's death is certain to spark a power struggle, with a number of ambitious individuals now vying for control.
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other top officials made a "hard landing" in "adverse weather conditions" in the country's mountainous northwest on Sunday, and search-and-rescue crews worked late into the night to locate it.
According to Reuters, rescue teams battled harsh weather conditions and challenging landscape throughout the night to reach the crash site in East Azerbaijan province in the early hours of Monday.
The newly elected president, Raisi, has been quite active since taking office in 2021. He has implemented stricter morality laws, responded forcefully to anti-government protests, and has been assertive in nuclear negotiations with global powers.
Earlier on X, the Anadolu news agency reported that Turkish authorities discovered a potential crash site for a helicopter using thermal imaging from a drone. The coordinates of this site were then shared with Iranian authorities.
According to the state news agency IRNA, Raisi arrived in a Bell 212 helicopter, which is of US origin.
The Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed his commitment to maintaining stability in Iran and ensuring the continuity of state affairs.
Who is Ebrahim Raisi?
Raisi, Iran's president since 2021, was largely seen as a regime stooge and a follower of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's policies.
He surged to the president with a massive majority during the 2021 elections, but less than half of Iran's populace voted because several more moderate candidates were forbidden from standing.
Raisi, a young student at a religious seminary in the holy city of Qom, participated in protests against the Western-backed Shah during the 1979 revolution.
His relationships with religious leaders in Qom helped him gain trust in the court, and at the age of 25, he was appointed Iran's deputy prosecutor.
Raisi rose quickly to popularity, earning the moniker 'the Butcher of Tehran.'
Raisi, as deputy prosecutor and then head prosecutor, was on the so-called 'death committee', a group of four judges who presided over courts in 1988 to "re-try" the regime's political detainees.
Thousands of these detainees were cruelly killed and buried in unmarked graves. The precise number of killings is unknown, although rights groups estimate that over 5,000 people were killed as a result of Raisi's ruthless judgement.
Raisi was not only devoted to the Republic and its Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, but he also maintained a tight connection with Iran's then-President, Ali Khamenei, throughout the 1980s.
Following Khomeini's death in 1989, Khamenei became Iran's Supreme Leader, and he is likely responsible for Raisi's road to the president in 2021.
Following Raisi's victory, his uncompromising stance became even more apparent.
In 2022, he ordered stricter implementation of Iran's 'hijab and chastity legislation,' which restricts women's attire and conduct.
Under these regulations, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was held in September 2022 by Iran's'morality police' for wearing 'improper' hijab and died three days later in hospital, causing widespread outrage.
The subsequent months of statewide protests posed one of the most serious threats to Iran's religious leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to rights groups, hundreds of people were slain, including scores of security officials who were involved in a violent crackdown on protestors.
Raisi and the Islamic Republic were already under great strain both at home and internationally.
Iran launched its first frontal attack on Israel in April, with a barrage of missiles and drones, the most of which were intercepted, adding uncertainty to a decades-long shadow war.
Domestically, crippling sanctions have put the economy into a tailspin while security forces press down on dissent, including a deadly crackdown on women, The Washington Post reported.
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