Iran’s President Raisi declared dead in helicopter crash
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was declared dead on Monday after rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded western mountain region, sparking mourning in the Islamic republic.
State media reported that images from the site showed the U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash.
The helicopter went down in the Varzeqan region north of Tabriz, state news agency IRNA reported, as Raisi returned from an official visit to the border with Azerbaijan in Iran’s northwest.
Messages of condolences came from Iran’s regional neighbours including the leaders of India, Iraq, and Pakistan, as well as the European Union and Russia. Palestinian militant group Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Syria also sent condolences.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group and the Houthi rebels in Yemen also issued statements praising Raisi.
Under the Iranian constitution, first vice president Mohammad Mokhber will replace Raisi until presidential elections are held within 50 days.
Iran’s Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei Mokhber’s interim appointment requires the approval of Khamenei, who has the final word in all state affairs.
(With input from wires)
