Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has been confirmed killed after the helicopter he was travelling in crashed in poor weather.
The bodies of Raisi, as well as the foreign minister and others who were aboard, were found on Monday morning, some hours after their helicopter crashed in Iran’s wild northwest region, state media reported.
[the] wreckage of [a] helicopter”. The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire some 20km (12 miles) south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.
Footage released by the IRNA showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a green mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: “There it is, we found it.”
Shortly after, state TV in an on-screen scrolling text, said: “There is no sign of life from people on board.”
It did not elaborate, but the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency showed rescuers using a small drone to fly over the site. Speaking among themselves they were heard coming to the same conclusion. The footage showed the tail of the helicopter surrounded by burnt debris.
‘Tireless’
Under the Iranian Constitution, if a president is confirmed dead, Iran’s vice first president takes over and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days.
First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber already had begun receiving calls from officials and foreign governments in Raisi’s absence, state media reported.
The Iranian government will continue to operate “without the slightest disruption”, a cabinet statement pronounced on Monday.
“We assure the loyal nation that the path of service will continue with the tireless spirit of Ayatollah Raisi,” it added.
The need to replace leadership is pressing as Iran is in the midst of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Israel’s war in Gaza has sparked lower-level conflicts with Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Last month, Iran and Israel swapped direct strikes at one another.
Iran is also accused of supplying Russia with drones for use in its invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the US and Western partners have grown ever more wary of Iran’s nuclear programme, with the UN urging Tehran to improve its cooperation with inspections.
