Iran helicopter crash: President Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister confirmed dead in fatal chopper incident

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister died in a helicopter crash in the country's isolated northwest on Sunday.

By Marita Pinto

Published on May 20, 2024 | 02:08 PM IST | 46.1K

Image Courtesy: AP

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to an individual's death.

According to official reports on Monday, May 20, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was discovered dead following a helicopter crash in the country's northwest mountains. Raisi, a staunch supporter whose passing will be devastating to the nation's conservative leadership, had gone missing a day earlier.

Following the passing of Raisi, Vice President Muhammad Mokhber will take over. The Iranian Constitution states that the first vice president will assume office in the event of the president's death or incapacity and that elections must be held within a maximum of 50 days.

The seasoned diplomat who played a key role in securing the recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, was also killed in the crash. Leaders from throughout the world are expressing their condolences and tributes. Flight expert and former helicopter pilot Paul Beaver indicated that the aircraft crash involving the Iranian president was likely caused by cloud cover, fog, mist, and low temperatures.

Who was Ebrahim Raisi?

Raisi has served as an assiduous apparatchik of the Islamic Republic and a well-known aide to Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Raisi served in the judiciary in several capacities under the direction of the Supreme Leader before taking office as president in 2021. At the conclusion of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, he served as a prosecutor and was a member of the committee that sentenced thousands of political detainees to death.

Raisi has been a member of the Assembly of Experts, which selects and manages the Supreme Leader, since 2006. Additionally, it was believed that Raisi, 63, was being prepared to replace 85-year-old Khamenei as Supreme Leader despite her lack of personality and eloquence.

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