In a tragic accident, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The incident, which occurred in the mountainous region of East Azerbaijan province, was confirmed by local authorities early Monday morning.
Fatal Crash in East Azerbaijan
The helicopter carrying President Raisi and his delegation was returning from a visit to the Azerbaijan border when it crashed.
Reports from Iranian state television, corroborated by Reuters, indicate that the aircraft caught fire upon impact, leaving no survivors.
Rescue teams reached the crash site later in the night, but the devastating outcome had already been anticipated.
Vice President Mohsen Mansouri, through a post on social media platform X, confirmed the president's death.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, but adverse weather conditions in the mountainous region are suspected to have played a role.
A Nation in Shock
President Raisi, aged 63, had been serving as Iran's president since 2021.
Known for his conservative stance and close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi's leadership was marked by a strict crackdown on protests and the enforcement of stringent moral laws.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the nation's foreign minister, was also aboard the ill-fated helicopter.
The helicopter was part of a convoy of three, with the other two aircraft safely reaching their destinations. Details about the number of passengers on board Raisi's helicopter have not been disclosed.
