Iran President Raisi, Foreign Minister Dies In Helicopter Crash
Iranian state media announced that President Ebrahim Raisi passed away on Monday following a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of the country.
Raisi was traveling with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who also lost his life in the accident.
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 saying the president had died.
“The servant of the 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 Koran playing in the background.
Iran’s vice president for executive affairs Mohsen Mansouri posted on X a Koranic verse used to express condolences.
