Iranian media have confirmed the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the age of 63 and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as a result of a helicopter crash in the mountainous province of East Azerbaijan, Suspilne reports.
Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri also confirmed the death of President Ebrahim Raisi. Iran’s government called an “urgent meeting” on Monday after reports that President Raisi and the country’s foreign minister were among those killed in the crash.
The duties of the president will be performed by the first vice president of Iran, Mohammad Mokhber. The bodies of those killed in the helicopter crash in Iran are being taken to Tabriz.
Mehr and Reuters news agencies, as well as Iranian state media Press TV, reported that all those on board had died.
“President Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azarbaijan Gov. Malek Rahmati, East Azarbaijan Imam of Friday Prayer Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, & several other passengers, has been martyred in a helicopter crash in northwest of Iran”, — says the post of Press TV.
Mehr reported that on Monday morning it was announced that all passengers of the crashed helicopter had died.
Currently, the duties of the president will be performed by the first vice president of Iran, Mohammad Mohbar, for 50 days until the new presidential elections. The elections will be organized by a special council.
In addition, the Reuters agency previously reported the death of the president with reference to a high-ranking official.
“President Raisi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and all the passengers of the helicopter died in the plane crash”, — an anonymous official told Reuters.
Earlier, an Iranian official told the agency that the helicopter carrying Raisi and the foreign minister was completely burnt on Sunday in a plane crash.
“After discovering the crash site, there were no signs of life among the helicopter’s passengers,” — Iranian Red Crescent Pir Hossein Kolivand told state television.
As Reuters writes, state television reported that footage from the scene showed the plane crashing into a mountain peak, although there were no official reports on the cause of the crash.
According to Iranian officials, the helicopter with nine people on board was returning from a flight to the Iran-Azerbaijani border when it crashed in heavy fog.
The European Union and Turkey supported the search and rescue operation, but rescuers were hampered by fog and cold temperatures.
Ebrahim Raisi was the second most influential person in the political structure of the Islamic Republic, after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini.
