Iranian president and foreign minister confirmed dead in chopper crash

Iranians seen 'celebrating' on social media following Raisi's death

Joyful Iranians have taken to social media to celebrate the death of hardline president Ebrahim Raisi who was killed in a helicopter crash.

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While hundreds of his supporters gathered in main squares across the country to pray for the late president, others uploaded videos of themselves drinking and setting of fireworks.

Others shared memes and jokes online, mocking the president after his death.

EU foreign policy chief offers condolences

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in a brief statement on Monday offered condolences for the deaths of Iran’s president and foreign minister and “other Iranian officials involved in the tragic helicopter crash.”

“The EU expresses its sympathies to the families of all the victims and to the Iranian citizens affected,” the statement said.

Who will take over from Raisi?

Iran's first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was appointed as acting president of the Islamic Republic on Monday after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in the country's northwest.

Mokhber, 68, largely has been in the shadows compared to other politicians in Iran's Shiite theocracy. Raisi's death under the constitution thrust Mokhber into public view. He is expected to serve as caretaker president for some 50 days before mandatory presidential elections in Iran.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the announcement of Mokhber's appointment in a condolence message he shared for Raisi's death in the crash Sunday. The helicopter was found Monday in northwestern Iran.

Despite his low-key public profile, Mokhber has held prominent positions with in the country's power structure, particularly in its bonyads, or charitable foundations. Those groups were fueled by donations or assets seized after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, particularly those previously associated with Iran's shah or those in his government.

Mokhber oversaw a bonyad known in English as the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order, or EIKO, referring to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Here's what we know so far about crash that killed Iranian president

The helicopter crash that killed Iran's president and foreign minister has sent shock waves around the region.

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Iranian state media said on Monday that President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, and others have been found dead at the site after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country's northwest.
Here's what we know so far.

The helicopter was carrying Raisi, Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Raisi was returning on Sunday after traveling to Iran's border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev when the crash happened in the Dizmar forest in Iran's East Azerbaijan province.

IRNA said the crash killed eight people in all, including three crew members aboard the Bell helicopter, which Iran purchased in the early 2000s. Aircraft in Iran face a shortage of parts, often flying without safety checks over Western sanctions. Because of that, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sought to blame the United States for the crash.

Unverified footage purports to show Ebrahim Raisi before the crash (IRINN/AFP via Getty Images)

Ayatollah announces Raisi's successor and five days of national mourning

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has confirmed that Mohammed Mokhber will take the presidency following the death of Ebrahim Raisi.

In a statement, he said: "Dear Raisi, he knew no fatigue. This unfortunate incident happened during a service attempt. The whole period of responsibility of this noble and selfless person, both during the short term of the presidency and before that, was completely spent in non-stop efforts to serve the people, the country and Islam.

"In this bitter incident, the Iranian nation lost a sincere and valuable servant. For him, the welfare and satisfaction of the people, which indicates the divine satisfaction, was preferred over everything; Therefore, his annoyances from the ingratitude and taunts of some ill-wishers did not prevent him from working day and night to improve and improve things.

"I announce five days of public mourning and express my condolences to the dear people of Iran.

"According to Article 131 of the Constitution, Mr. Mokhbar is in the position of managing the executive branch, and he is obliged to arrange with the heads of the legislative and judicial branches to elect a new president within a maximum of 50 days."

Reason for crash is still unclear as Turkish authorities release video of wreckage

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country's northwest, state media reported.

State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. With Raisi were Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Turkish authorities early Monday released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they "suspected to be wreckage of a helicopter." The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire some 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.

Footage released by the IRNA early Monday showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a green mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: "There it is, we found it." Shortly after, state TV in an on-screen scrolling text said: "There is no sign of life from people on board."

The crash wreck site in East Azerbaijan (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Helicopter crash that killed Iran's president and others could reverberate across the Middle East

The helicopter crash in which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials were killed is likely to reverberate across the Middle East, where Iran's influence runs wide and deep.

That's because Iran has spent decades supporting armed groups and militants in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Palestinian territories, allowing it to project power and potentially deter attacks from the United States or Israel, the sworn enemies of its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Tensions have never been higher than they were last month, when Iran under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in response to an airstrike on an Iranian Consulate in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers.

Israel, with the help of the United States, Britain, Jordan and others, intercepted nearly all the projectiles. In response, Israel apparently launched its own strike against an air defense radar system in the Iranian city of Isfahan, causing no casualties but sending an unmistakable message.

The sides have waged a shadow war of covert operations and cyberattacks for years, but the exchange of fire in April was their first direct military confrontation.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has drawn in other Iranian allies, with each attack and counterattack threatening to set off a wider war.

It's a combustible mix that could be ignited by unexpected events, such as Sunday's deadly crash.

Who was Ebrahim Raisi?

Ebrahim Raisi a hard-liner who formerly led the country's judiciary, was viewed as a protege of Khamenei and some analysts had suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after Khamenei's death or resignation.

With Raisi's death, the only other person so far suggested has been Mojtaba Khameini, the 55-year-old son to the supreme leader. However, some have raised concerns over the position being taken only for the third time since 1979 to a family member, particularly after the Islamic Revolution overthrew the hereditary Pahlavi monarchy of the shah.

Raisi won Iran's 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic's history. Raisi is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war.

Under Raisi, Iran now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections. Iran has armed Russia in its war on Ukraine, as well as launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It also has continued arming proxy groups in the Mideast, like Yemen's Houthi rebels and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, mass protests in the country have raged for years. The most recent involved the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who had been earlier detained over allegedly not wearing a hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The monthslong security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.

In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the "physical violence" that led to Amini's death.

Raisi is the second Iranian president to die in office. In 1981, a bomb blast killed President Mohammad Ali Rajai in the chaotic days after the revolution.

Raisi pictured meeting locals in Jofa, East Azerbaijan hours before the crash (IRINN/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas and Houthi rebels react to news of Iranian president's death

Hamas and the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels have shared statements following the announcement of Ebrahim Raisi's death earlier this morning.

In a statement, a Hamas spokesperson said it conveyed "deepest condolences and solidarity" to the country's leader, Ali Khamenei, the government and the Iranian people.

Head of the Houthi committee, Mohammed Ali al Houthi, wrote: "Our deepest condolences to the Iranian people, the Iranian leadership, and the families of President Raisi and the accompanying delegation on their reported martyrdom.

"We ask God to grant their families patience and solace."

Foreign Minister also confirmed dead in helicopter crash

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, a hard-liner close to the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who confronted the West while also overseeing indirect talks with the U.S. over the country's nuclear program, died in the helicopter crash that also killed the country's president, state media reported Monday. He was 60.

Amirabdollahian represented the hard-line shift in Iran after the collapse of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers after then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord. He served under President Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and followed their policies.

Iran President Raisi has died after helicopter crash, state media confirms

State officials have confirmed they found the helicopter that was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and that “no sign of life” was detected from the leader.

The country’s foreign minister and other officials were also on the chopper that had apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran the day before.

• Read the full story here.

Rescuers find crashed helicopter as Iran state TV says 'no sign of life' detected

Iran state TV says 'no sign of life' has been detected at a crash site of the helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi and others.

Rescuers on Monday found a helicopter that was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials that had apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran the day before.

As the sun rose Monday, rescuers saw the helicopter from a distance of some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles), the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pir Hossein Kolivand, told state media. He did not elaborate and the officials had been missing at that point by over 12 hours.

Images released appearing to show helicopter wreckage as Iranian President still missing

Images captured by a Turkish drone has shown what appears to be the wreckage of a helicopter that had been carrying Iranian President Raisi.

Anadolu news agency said Akinci UAV had found a 'source of heat' that was suspected to be the wreckage of the helicopter. It added that coordinates had been shared with Iranian authorities.

Images that have since been released appear to show a dark spot on an area that appears to be on a hill side. The status of the Iranian President remains unconfirmed.

Drone from Turkey finds suspected helicopter wreckage and 'source of heat'

A Turkish drone has identified suspected wreckage and a 'source of heat' in its search for the downed helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi.

Writing on X, Anadolu news agency said: "Akinci UAV identifies source of heat suspected to be wreckage of helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi and shares its coordinates with Iranian authorities."

All we know on where helicopter was travelling and where it was later found

Raisi was traveling in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. State TV said what it called a "hard landing" happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Later, state TV put it farther east near the village of Uzi, but details remained contradictory. Traveling with Raisi were Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. One local government official used the word "crash," but others referred to either a "hard landing" or an "incident."

Neither IRNA nor state TV offered any information on Raisi's condition in the hours afterward. However, hard-liners urged the public to pray for him. State TV aired images of hundreds of the faithful, some with their hands outstretched in supplication, praying at Imam Reza Shrine in the city of Mashhad, one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites, as well as in Qom and other locations across the country. State television's main channel aired the prayers nonstop.

Russia sends two planes to help rescue mission for president's helicopter

Russia is reportedly sending two planes and helicopters to Iran to help in the rescue mission after the helicopter crash.

A spokesperson for the Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated the country will be providing the assistance along with 50 specialists in mountain rescue, reported the ISNA agency. Turkey is also believed to have sent drones to Iran to help.

Earlier Russia had said it was ready to help Iran in the search for the helicopter which is reportedly ongoing in poor weather conditions. “Russia is ready to extend all necessary help in the search for the missing helicopter and the investigation of the reasons for the incident,” a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said, reported RIA.

Rescue teams filmed looking for helicopter wreckage in dense fog

Footage shows the extreme weather conditions that rescue teams face in the search for the helicopter.

People can be seen trying to navigate there way through dense fog and heavy rain in hilly terrain in Iran, in the clip shared on social media by the ISNA agency.

A helicopter carrying Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran, sparking a massive rescue operation.

عملیات شبانه تیم‌های جست‌وجو برای یافتن بالگرد حامل #رئیس‌جمهور#رئیسی#هلیکوپتر pic.twitter.com/1DK1tEeT5a

— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) May 19, 2024

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi pictured before helicopter crash

Images show Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Azerbaijan before a helicopter crash.

Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV said what it called a “hard landing” happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 375 miles northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Later, state TV put it farther east near the village of Uzi, but details remain contradictory over the location and if the helicopter has in fact been found.

Raisi (centre-left) beside the Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (Iranian Presidency/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

Iran makes request of helicopters with night vision from Turkey

Iran has asked for help from Turkey with a request for a helicopter with night vision, it is reported.

Turkey is sending 32 mountain rescue specialists to help Iran after the helicopter carrying President Raisi went down in bad weather, the government’s emergency aid agency AFAD has said.

The team and vehicles have been deployed from centres in eastern Turkey, said AFAD on X while it also stated that the request for helicopters with night vision had been made.

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Who was on board the helicopter and where did it crash?

The helicopter was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Mr Raisi was returning from a trip to Iran's border with Azerbaijan earlier on Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, the news agency said.

The helicopter apparently crashed or made an emergency landing in the Dizmar forest between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, near its border with Azerbaijan, under circumstances that remain unclear. Initially, interior minister Ahmad Vahidi said the helicopter "was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog".

Iranian officials have said the mountainous, forested terrain and heavy fog impeded search-and-rescue operations. The president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pir-Hossein Koulivand, said 40 search teams were on the ground in the area despite "challenging weather conditions". The search is being done by teams on the ground, as "the weather conditions have made it impossible to conduct aerial searches" via drones, Mr Koulivand said, according to IRNA.

Islamic Revolutionary Guards chief arrives to crash site area

The commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has arrived in the area where the helicopter carrying the Iranian President crashed.

Hossein Salami is now leading the search-and-rescue efforts. A crisis management team has been put together with the with the IRGC commanders, ministers, the first vice president and local officials, according to state media.

There are conflicting reports over whether the helicopter has been found and it has been denied by Iran's Red Crescent. “We are now moving toward the area with all military forces and I hope we can give good news to the people,” said IRGC commander Asghar Abbasgholizadeh in Eastern Azerbaijan.

Iranian President was on board US-manufactured Bell 212 helicopter

Images show that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was on board a US-manufactured Bell 212 helicopter.

The two-blade aircraft is a medium-sized helicopter that has a 15-seat capacity but it is unclear how many people were on board the president's aircraft.

Iranian state TV has reported that the helicopter had been found and quoted an official as saying that at least one passenger and crew member had been in contact with rescuers. But Iran’s Red Crescent has denied the aircraft was located.

Pictured: Rescuers reach helicopter crash site

Rescue teams in Iran have located the crashed helicopter carrying the Iranian president that is believed to have gone down in poor weather conditions with dense fog.

Images show emergency services from the Iranian town of Verzegan arriving at the crash site.

Medical and rescue teams from Iranian town of Verzegan arrive at the accident site (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Rescuers reach crash site but can't find body of missing leader

Rescue teams in Iran have found the crashed helicopter which was carrying the Iranian president and is believed to have gone down in poor weather conditions with dense fog.

Reports have said that the body of the missing leader has not been recovered. Iranian state media broadcast footage Sunday of rescue teams searching after a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran.

Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV said what it called a “hard landing” happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Later, state TV put it farther east near the village of Uzi, but details remained contradictory.

Read more: Iran president helicopter crash: Rescuers reach crash site but can't find body of missing leader

Russia says it is ready to help in search for helicopter

Russia has said that it is ready to help Iran in the search for the president's helicopter which is reportedly ongoing in poor weather conditions.

“Russia is ready to extend all necessary help in the search for the missing helicopter and the investigation of the reasons for the incident,” a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said, reported RIA.

Meanwhile, local weather forecasters have said the area where the president’s helicopter went down is likely to see dense fog and rain through the night.

“In the area of the village of Uzi a combination of rain and winds will be seen, and the wind is blowing at around 10 kilometres per hour,” added Habib Abdoli, the head of East Azerbaijan’s weather forecast authority.

Turkish president 'deeply saddened' by apparent crash

Writing on X, Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was in full contact with the Iranian authorities and stood ready to provide any necessary support.

"I convey my best wishes to our neighbour, friend and brother Iranian people and government, and I hope to receive good news from Mr Raisi and his delegation as soon as possible," he added.

Contact made with passenger and crew members, says state TV

Contact has been made with a passenger and a crew member of the Iranian president's helicopter, an official has reportedly told state TV.

According to Sky News, the unnamed official said contact has been made on several occasions.

'Difficult and complicated conditions' rescue teams say

Ali Bahadori Jahromi said there was still no update on Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amirabdollahian - adding how rescue teams were "experiencing difficult and complicated conditions".

Posting on Twitter, Jahromi said: "It is the right of the people and the media to be aware of the latest news about the president's helicopter accident, but according to the coordinates of the accident site and the weather conditions, there is "no" new news until now. In these moments, patience, prayer, and trust in relief groups are the way forward."

Pakistan prime minister 'waiting with great anticipation' on Raisi

Pakistan's prime minister says he is "waiting with great anxiety" for a positive update after Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash.

"Our prayers and best wishes are with Hon President Raisi and the entire Iranian nation," he adds.

Heard the distressing news from Iran regarding Hon. President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter. Waiting with great anxiety for good news that all is well. Our prayers and best wishes are with Hon.President Raisi and the entire Iranian nation.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) May 19, 2024

President of Azerbaijan 'worried' over Raisi

Ilham Aliyev had met the Iranian president earlier today for the inauguration of a dam in Azerbaijan.

He posted on Twitter: "Today, after meeting with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ibrahim Raisi we were seriously worried by the news that the helicopter carrying the high delegation made an emergency landing in Iran.

"Our prayers to almighty God are with President Ibrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation."

Today, after bidding a friendly farewell to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran. Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and…

— Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz) May 19, 2024