Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died after his helicopter crashed in inclement weather in the mountains close to the Azerbaijani border.
Following an overnight blizzard-driven search, the helicopter wreckage carrying six crew members, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Raisi, went missing on Sunday.
Supreme Leader Khamenei, who possesses ultimate power and the final say, announced that First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would assume the role of interim president, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Khamenei issued the statement: “I extend my condolences to the good people of Iran and declare five days of public mourning.”
Raisi was a hardliner, and there was speculation that he could succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Separate images obtained from IRNA showed wreckage scattered across a foggy hillside, captured on Iranian state television. The helicopter crash killed every person on board.
Amidst a variety of political, social, and economic crises, expanding dissent emerged within Iran at the time of the crash. The escalating military relations between Iran and Russia, amidst the conflict in Ukraine and Tehran’s contested nuclear program, subject Iran’s clerical leadership to international pressure.
The constitution of the Islamic Republic stipulates that a new presidential election must take place within fifty days.
The Islamic Republic’s constitution demands that a new presidential election be conducted in a span of fifty days.
