Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials have died in a helicopter crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, following a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev at the state border between the two countries, reports the Associated Press.
Rescue operations began on Sunday in challenging, remote, and mountainous terrain. By Monday morning, as daylight broke, rescuers were able to spot the helicopter wreckage from approximately 2 kilometers away. Pir Hossein Kolivand, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, confirmed that “No sign of life” was detected over 12 hours after they went missing.
The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire some 20 kilometers south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain, indicating the harsh and inaccessible nature of the crash site.
In the wake of this disaster, Iran’s Vice President Muhammad Mukhbar is set to assume the role of acting president, pending the approval of the Supreme Leader, as per Iranian law. The constitution requires that a new president be elected within 50 days to permanently fill the position. This development marks a pivotal moment in Iranian politics as the nation mourns and prepares for an electoral transition.
