Iran’s President Raisi, FM dead in helicopter crash: State TV

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Dead when their helicopter crashed as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog, the country’s official state TV confirmed on Monday.

Rescue teams had been scouring the area since Sunday afternoon after a helicopter carrying Raisi, the foreign minister and other officials had gone missing.

Early Monday, relief workers located the missing helicopter, with state TV announcing the president’s death.

“The servant of Iranian nation, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi has achieved the highest level of martyrdom whilst serving the people,” state television said Monday, with Mehr news agency also saying he was dead.

State television broadcast photos of Raisi, with the voice of a man reciting the Quran playing in the background.

Iran’s vice president for executive affairs Mohsen Mansouri, who is poised to become Iran’s interim president, posted on X a Quranic verse used to express condolences.

Fears had been growing for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the helicopter carrying him as well as his foreign minister and others in East Azerbaijan province on Sunday.

A total of nine people were on board the aircraft, according to Tasnim news agency.

Iran’s Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said rescue teams headed towards the site of the crash after locating the aircraft.

“The helicopter has been found. Now, we are moving toward the helicopter,” said Koolivand. “We are seeing the helicopter. The situation is not good.”

“Upon finding the helicopter, there was no sign of the helicopter passengers being alive as of yet,” state TV reported about 15 hours after the aircraft went missing.