Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi confirmed dead after helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead after a fatal helicopter crash that occurred in bad weather conditions on Sunday in northwestern Iran, according to state media run by the Islamic Republic.

The helicopter, which was transporting other top Iranian officials, crashed during intense rain storms, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal. 

News of the event sent shockwaves through the media as Iranian media outlets initially reported that chopped had just had a “hard landing” as the president was returning back to Tehran from the East Azerbaijan province.

Those state media outlets called asked for the Iranian people to pray for the president, and other Iranian officials aboard who were in danger.

The helicopter was also reportedly carrying East Azerbaijan Gov. Malik Rahmati, Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other top Islamic Republic officials. 

The crash, which occurred during heavy rainstorms reportedly prevented other helicopters from being used to try and rescue any potential survivors.

Photographs from the crash scene depicted heavy damage to the aircraft. Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, has temporarily stepped in as the Islamic Republic’s acting president.

Iran’s allies and neighboring countries and sent condolences to Tehran, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Other Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan declared a state of mourning while Pro-Iranian militias such as Hezbollah praised Raisi, calling him “a big brother, a strong supporter and a staunch defender of our issues and the nation’s issues.”

Under Iran’s constitution, new presidential elections are required to be held within 50 days, but one Iranian official said Monday that the new president would serve a full four-year term instead of merely finishing Raisi’s term, which was scheduled to end in 2025.

So far, there has been no response from Israel or the United States.

In the past, Iran blamed Israel for the 2019 killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who many considered to be the founder of Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. Tel Aviv has not confirmed or denied that allegation.