President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran died in a helicopter crash on May 19. The confirmation came from Hossein Kolivand, head of Iran's Red Crescent Society, with the Mehr news agency also reporting that the president was martyred in the incident.
The presidential helicopter made a "hard landing" in the mountainous region near the city of Varzeqan, close to the Iran-Azerbaijan border. Rescuers located the crash site on May 20, finding the helicopter completely burned. Along with President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Ayatollah al-Hashim, and Tabriz Imam Muhammad Ali al-Hashim were also on board.
President Raisi was returning from a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The two leaders had participated in the opening ceremony of a dam on the Aras River.
"After locating the crashed helicopter, there were no signs of survivors," said Kolivand.
In the event of the president's death, the First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will assume the presidential powers with the consent of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. New presidential elections are required to be held within 50 days.
Ebrahim Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021 with more than 60% of the vote. He began his career in the legal field, working as a prosecutor in various regions of Iran. He became the country's chief prosecutor in 2014 and ran for president in 2017, losing to Hassan Rouhani. Raisi was known for his hardline stance on foreign policy, particularly towards Israel, and was under U.S. and EU sanctions.
Recently, President Raisi visited Tashkent on November 9 with his wife Jamileh Alamolhoda. During this visit, he met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to discuss strengthening relations and expanding cooperation in trade, investments, innovations, and transport.
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