Iranian state media have confirmed the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi after his helicopter crashed on Sunday in a mountainous area.
Raisi was travelling over East Azerbaijan province, located in Iran’s northwest, returning from a visit to the nation of Azerbaijan, when the Bell 212 aircraft went down.
Following a massive search operation, which was hampered by foggy weather and rain, the helicopter wreckage was found in a wooded area.
Several state media outlets reported Raisi’s passing on Monday morning, before a government statement was released confirming Raisi's passing.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and East Azerbaijan Imam Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem were also killed in the crash.
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20 May 2024
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced that he has appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as acting president after the death of Ebrahim Raisi. Mokhber will be in the post for 50 days until an election is held.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has expressed his “deepest condolences” to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and other high-ranking officials in a helicopter crash.
The Russian leader described Raisi as “an outstanding politician, whose entire life was devoted to serving the Motherland,” and who was respected both at home and abroad.
The late Iranian president was “a true friend of Russia” who greatly contributed to upgrading ties between Moscow and Tehran to the level of a “strategic partnership,” Putin stated.
Moscow is “deeply saddened” by the news of the “tragic death” of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials in a helicopter crash, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said in a statement.
Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian will be remembered as “true patriots of Iran, who firmly defended the interests of their country and gave their lives in the selfless service to the Motherland,” he stressed.
They were “true, reliable friends” of Russia, who played an “invaluable” role in strengthening ties between Moscow and Tehran, Lavrov added.
“We express our sincerely condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as all to the friendly people of Iran. In this hour of sorrow, our thoughts and hearts are with you,” the foreign minister said.
Palestinian armed group Hamas has said it shares the “pain and sorrow” of the Iranian people after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials in a helicopter crash.
Raisi and the late Iranian government members have a history of “honorable stances” in support of the Palestinian people, including efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza, a statement by Hamas read.
“We are confident that the Islamic Republic of Iran will overcome the implications of this great loss,” it added.
The Russian Embassy in Tehran has expressed “great sadness” at the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials in a helicopter crash.
"We offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims, the entire Iranian people and the government. We wish you patience and mental fortitude in overcoming this most difficult tragedy,” the embassy said in a statement.
As a sign of solidarity with Iran, the Russian flag at the embassy will be flown at half-mast, it added.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has said he is “shocked” by the death of Ebrahim Raisi, whom he described as “an exemplary person, an extraordinary world leader.” The late Iranian head of state was “an excellent human being, defender of the sovereignty of his people and unconditional friend of our country,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"A heartfelt hug from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. You, Iran, are an example of dignity, morality and resistance,” Maduro said.
Following the death of Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will perform the duties of the president for 50 days until an election is held, national broadcaster IRIB has reported.
The Iranian government has said in a statement that it will keep operating “without the slightest disruption” following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
“We assure the loyal nation that the path of service will continue with the tireless spirit of Ayatollah Raisi,” the statement read.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he is “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise” of Ebrahim Raisi. The contribution of the late Iranian president to strengthening relations between New Delhi and Tehran “will always be remembered,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow,” Modi said.
Iran’s state media confirmed around 8 am local time on Monday that President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several other high-ranking officials have been killed in the crash.
The rescuers have reached the crash site and are looking for survivors. In a statement carried by Iranian media, the country’s Red Crescent Society said there have been “no signs of life" so far.
Multiple Iranian media outlets posted the first photo of the crash site.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the crash site has been located.
The news was confirmed several minutes later by Press TV, which said that the “whereabouts of Iran president’s crashed helicopter [are] located,” and rescue teams are on their way.
The rescuers have arrived at the location pinpointed by a Turkish surveillance drone, but have found no traces of the wreckage, Iran’s Press TV reported. The UAV had earlier detected a hea signal in the area and sent coordinates to the search teams.
Iranian news agency IRNA reported that a Turkish drone has detected a heat signal possibly coming from the crash site.
19 May 2024
On the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, two advanced aircraft, helicopters and 50 professional mountain rescuers will leave for Tabriz in an hour to help search for Raisi’s helicopter, Tasnim reports.
Journalist Arash Azizi for The Atlantic reported Raisi’s death citing a source close to the Iranian presidency. He noted that authorities were looking for a way to break the news without causing unrest. Azizi said he wasn’t able to verify what the source had told him.
Iranian media reports that Governor Rahmati, who was in the helicopter with the president, had managed to get in touch. He reportedly said that he was in a lot of pain and could hear the sound of sirens. The media has not given any information on Raisi.
The commander of the Revolutionary Guard in East Azerbaijan Province says they received signals from Iranian president’s helicopter and from the phone of one of the passengers.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society is denying reports that Raisi’s helicopter had been discovered. An earlier communication was reported by PressTV by mistake. So far, only the coordinates of the crash have been established.
Iranian state TV now reports that the crashed helicopter has been found. There is no information on Raisi’s condition yet.
According to Mohsen Mansouri, the deputy to the president for executive affairs, one of the officials on Raisi’s helicopter and a member of the flight crew was able to reach out after the incident occurred.
“This was one of the hopeful points in this. This shows that the severity of the incident was not very high because two of the people who were on the flight contacted our people in several instances,” the official, who is leading the search at the site, was reported by state television as having said.
The Red Crescent reported that 65 teams are currently operating in the area, and officials believe they are close to locating the helicopter.
Special forces from the Iranian Army and the IRGC have reached the helicopter crash site and are carrying out nighttime search operations.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, announced that, following a request from Iran, the EU is activating its Copernicus EMS rapid response satellite mapping service.
West Jerusalem had nothing to do with the crash of the Iranian president’s helicopter, Israeli Channel 13 reports, citing officials.
US President Biden is rushing to the White House for an emergency meeting following Raisi’s helicopter incident, an administration official told Reuters.
IRIB News on Telegram is reporting that the search teams are approaching the accident site.
In the event of the death of Raisi, the person expected to replace him in office, at least temporarily, is First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber.
The head of Iran’s Red Crescent reported that one of the search and rescue teams had reached the site where the Iranian president’s helicopter had made a hard landing.
Raisi had been in the border region after joining Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday to inaugurate a dam, Iranian political analyst Mohammad Marandi told Al Jazeera.
Marandi mentioned that Raisi had also planned to visit a few northern provinces, emphasizing that he travels extensively within the country. Iran has 30 provinces and Raisi has pledged to visit each one at least once a year, so he is constantly on the move.
Marandi also remarked that there seemed to have been very bad weather with heavy fog. Footage from the rescue team showed extremely poor visibility. He suggested that the helicopter pilot might have decided not to take any risks and quickly landed the helicopter, although there could have been another reason as well.
Rescue teams have reportedly managed to reach the area and began a search operation that is currently ongoing.
Foggy weather and the impassibility of the area has made the search operations difficult, IRNA writes. The Iranian news agency, citing the head of the Red Crescent in the country, said the number of rescue teams sent to the area was increased from 20 to 40 teams.
Shortly after the first reports about the incident, news outlet Mehr reported that the president was fine and was traveling by car as part of a motorcade to Tabriz, the provincial capital. However, it has now deleted this update.
One of the president’s fellow passengers to central HQ reportedly made a phone call after the ‘incident.’ Tasnim claims there is considerable hope that there were no casualties.