President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, a hardliner, died in a helicopter crash

May 20, DUBAI (Reuters) – Hardliner and possible successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, died on Monday when his helicopter crashed in bad weather in the mountains close to the border with Azerbaijan, according to officials and state media.

Following an overnight search in blizzard conditions, early on Monday, the burned wreckage of the helicopter that crashed on Sunday, carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, six other passengers, and crew, was located.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will serve as acting president until Supreme Leader Khamenei, who has the last say on matters of foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear program, steps down, according to the official IRNA news agency.

In a statement, Khamenei said, “I offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran and I announce five days of public mourning.” Similar to Raisi, Mokhber is thought to be near Khamenei.

A fresh round of presidential elections is mandated by the Islamic Republic’s constitution to take place in 50 days.

Separate photos from IRNA showed Red Crescent personnel carrying a shrouded body on a stretcher, while footage from Iranian state television showed wreckage strewn across a misted mountainside. A senior Iranian official had earlier informed Reuters that everyone on board the helicopter had died.

After Amirabdollahian passed away, Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani was named acting Foreign Minister, according to IRNA.

The crash occurs at a time when Iran’s discontent over a number of political, social, and economic issues is on the rise. International pressure is being applied to Iran’s clerical leadership because of Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and strengthening military links with Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine.

Conflicts involving organizations affiliated with Iran have erupted across the Middle East ever since Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7th, which was sparked by Hamas, an ally of Iran.

A protracted “shadow war” between Israel and Iran came to light last month as missile and drone fire exchanged barbs.

Although there was no official statement on the cause of the crash, state media stated that photographs from the scene showed the Bell 212 helicopter, built in the United States, crashing into a mountain peak. Among the deceased were the governor of the province of East Azerbaijan as well as a prominent imam from Tabriz.

Reported by Reuters, an Israeli official denied any involvement in the collision. “It wasn’t us,” the official, who asked to remain anonymous, declared.