Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain due to bad weather, the country reported. More news agency he said Monday.
A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched in the fog-covered mountainous area of East Azerbaijan province and search teams located the remains on Monday morning.
Under Iran's constitution, this is what happens when a president becomes incapacitated or dies in office.
If a president dies in office, Article 131 of the Islamic Republic's constitution says that the first vice president, who is Mohammad Mokhber, takes over.
This happens after the confirmation of the supreme leader, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran.
A council consisting of the first vice president, the president of parliament and the president of the judiciary must organize the election of a new president within a maximum period of 50 days.
Raisi was elected president in 2021 and, according to the usual calendar, presidential elections were due to take place in 2025. Under constitutional rules, they can now be expected to take place in early July.
What happened?
On Sunday, Iranian state television reported that the helicopter carrying Raisi had an “accident” in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province amid bad weather conditions.
The accident occurred in the protected mountainous area of Dizmar Forest, near the town of Varzaghan, the official said. irna news agency.
Raisi had previously inaugurated a dam project with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on the border between the two countries.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi described the accident as a “forced landing due to weather conditions.”
Raisi's convoy consisted of three helicopters, two of which landed safely in the northwestern city of Tabriz.
Vahidi had said it was “difficult to establish communication” with the third helicopter carrying Raisi.
Also on board were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, along with the governor of East Azerbaijan and the province's chief imam, according to IRNA news agency.
Following the incident, rescue teams battled snow storms and difficult terrain overnight to reach the rubble in East Azerbaijan province in the early hours of Monday.
However, an Iranian official said Reuters The helicopter carrying Raisi and Amirabdollahian was completely burned in Sunday's crash.
Later, a senior Iranian official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Reuters: “President Raisi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and all the passengers of the helicopter died in the accident.”
