The Iranian state media today confirmed the death of the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, whose helicopter crashed in the northwest of Iran on Sunday, May 19, 2-24.
Raisi was returned on Sunday after travelling to Iran’s border to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev when the crash happened in the Dizmar forest in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
Also, the country’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards in the helicopter died alongside Raisi.
IRNA said the crash killed eight people in all, including three crew members aboard the Bell helicopter, which Iran purchased in the early 2000s.
It was gathered that the president and others were found dead at the site after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” the Reuters news agency reported, quoting an unnamed Iranian official.
The cause of the crash is not known as of the time of filing this report.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi.
He said, “I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” said Khamenei in an official statement a day after the death of Raisi and other officials in the crash in East Azerbaijan province.”
Raisi 63, was elected president on his second attempt in 2021, and since taking office, has overseen a tightening of morality laws, a bloody crackdown on antigovernment protests triggered by the death in custody of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini and taken a tougher approach to nuclear talks with world powers.
Last month, he ordered an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel, following an alleged Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus which killed 13 people including a top commander and his deputy.
