Iran’s president and international minister killed, surrounding international locations mourn after helicopter crash

DUBAI (Reuters) – A helicopter carrying Iran’s President Raisi, 63, and Overseas Minister Abdullahian crashed in a mountainous space close to the border with Azerbaijan on the nineteenth, killing each males. Iranian state media reported this on the twentieth.

After an in a single day search in a blizzard, the burned wreckage was discovered within the early hours of the twentieth.

All on board died, a senior authorities official advised Reuters. Vice President Mansouri later confirmed Raisi’s loss of life in an announcement.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhbel is predicted to be the president.

State tv didn’t point out the reason for the crash. Video footage from the scene reveals that the aircraft crashed into the highest of the mountain.

In response to state information company IRNA, Raisi was on board a US-made Bell 212 helicopter.

Raisi was within the border area to attend the inauguration of the dam, a joint venture with Azerbaijan.

Neighboring international locations together with India, Iraq, Pakistan, the European Union (EU) and Russia despatched their condolences.

The Iranian-backed Islamist group Hamas, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, and the pro-Iranian Houthi militant group additionally paid tribute to Raisi and expressed their condolences.

The White Home introduced that President Biden had been knowledgeable of the accident. The European Union (EU) supplies satellite tv for pc mapping know-how. China raised severe considerations.

Take into account

Iran is going through stress from the worldwide neighborhood over its nuclear program and deepening navy ties with Russia, which continues to wage conflict in Ukraine. As well as, since Hamas attacked Israel and started assaults on the Palestinian autonomous area of Gaza final October, combating between teams near Iran has continued all through the Center East.

Raisi was elected president in 2021 and has ordered more durable morality legal guidelines, violently suppressed anti-government protests and brought a troublesome stance in nuclear talks with main powers.

Raisi is seen as a powerful candidate to succeed 85-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei, who has supported Raisi’s key insurance policies. In contrast to former President Rouhani’s pragmatic regime, all branches of energy are actually managed by hardliners.

Nevertheless, some believed that Raisi’s place was doubtful as a consequence of protests towards his rule by non secular leaders and the failure to rebuild Iran’s economic system underneath Western sanctions.

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