Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash.
News
A helicopter carrying the president and senior officials crashed on May 19 in the northwestern part of Iran, in the province of East Azerbaijan. Prior to the crash, they had been at the Azerbaijan border, where they, along with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, participated in the dam's opening ceremony. They were en route to Tabriz city.
Based on available information, in addition to the country's president and the foreign affairs minister, there were seven more people on board. Everyone perished in the plane crash, including the governor of East Azerbaijan province, the President's security service employees, and crew members.
63-year-old Ebrahim Raisi was elected as the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in June 2021. As president, Raisi was second only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Based on the Iranian Constitution, in the event of the President's death, the Vice President assumes their powers and functions with the approval of the Supreme Leader. The election of the new president must be held within a maximum of 50 days.
