An ill-fated helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in the Islamic republic's East Azerbaijan province along with senior members of Iran's ruling leadership, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Along with Amir-Abdollahian, President Raisi's entourage on the helicopter also included Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative Mohammed Ali Ale-Hashem and East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati.
Iran's government confirmed the deaths of the president, minister and government officials on Monday after hours of rigorous search efforts led by the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
The helicopter carrying President Raisi, Iran's Foreign Minister and others crashed on Sunday while flying over mountainous terrain in dense fog in the Varzaqan region of the country's East Azerbaijan province.
Here's a detailed look at the other passengers who died in the fatal helicopter crash.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a native of the city of Damghan in Semnan province, was a hardline pick of President Raisi's cabinet after he took power in 2021.
The 60-year-old top diplomat was appointed following his uncompromising approach to Iranian foreign policy. Educated in Tehran, he had close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG), as well as its proxy networks across the Middle East.
He also served as Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs between 2011 and 2016. He also worked as an advisor to former parliamentary speaker Ali Larijnai.
Despite being fluent in English and Arabic, Amir-Abdollahian conversed primarily in Persian during his interactions with the media.
He first appeared on the global stage for Iran in 2007, when he was a member of Iran's negotiating team that met with US officials to discuss Iraq's security situation. This was the first time talks were held with the United States since the Islamic Revolution in Iran. He was also appointed Tehran's ambassador to Bahrain that same year.
Mohammed Ali Ale-Hashem
Mohammed Ali Ale-Hashem, who delivered sermons on Friday in the city of Tabriz, was a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in East Azerbaijan province.
He was born into a clerical family.
Ale-Hashem, according to his website, studied at a Qom seminary and also headed the “ideological political organization” of the Iranian military.
Malek Rahmati, Governor of East Azerbaijan
Malek Rahmati was the governor of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan.
His appointment to the top position was approved by the Iranian cabinet in January this year.
Rahmati previously served as head of the Iran Privatization Organization. He took over as governor, replacing Zeinolabedin Khorram after his death in January.
