State media reports the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is believed to be dead after a helicopter he was on crashed in the Islamic Republic’s East Azerbaijan province. Iranian state media reported Monday morning local time that there was “no sign of life” at the crash site.

Raisi, 63, had been serving as Iran’s president since August 2021 and was widely seen as a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, Khamenei’s representative to East Azerbaijan, were also on board the helicopter. Iranian state media reported on Sunday that the rotorcraft had suffered a “hard landing.” It wasn’t until hours later that any news about their statuses was given.

Raisi was in the region meeting with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, where the two leaders announced a collaborative dam project.

The crash came as Raisi and the Iranian government launched a drone and missile strike on Israel last month and are closer than ever to enriching uranium to weapons grade.

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The helicopter was missing for hours after the crash, with bad weather conditions, such as heavy fog, hampering the effort to locate it.

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is next in line for the presidency. The Iranian constitution says that in case of the president’s death or incapacity, the first vice president will take over and assume the functions of the president until an election is held within a maximum period of 50 days. There are several vice presidents in Iran’s government serving simultaneously, but Mokhber serves as the first one. He was appointed to the position by Raisi in August 2021.