According to Iranian media reports, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister were killed in a plane crash in East Azerbaijan
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were tragically reported dead on Monday following a helicopter crash that occurred after a “hard landing.” The helicopter, part of a convoy, crashed in heavy fog in the north of the country.
President Raisi was in route to Tabriz in northwest Iran after a visit to an Iran-Azerbaijan border area when the incident took place.
Iran’s Mehr news agency confirmed the deaths, stating, “Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were martyred in the helicopter crash on Sunday.” Local news agency Tasnim also reported no survivors were found at the crash site.
Rescuers faced blizzards and challenging terrain to reach the wreckage in East Azerbaijan province. A Turkish drone, Akinci UAV, identified a heat source suspected to be the crash site and shared coordinates with Iranian authorities. The Iranian Red Crescent located the wreckage, noting the situation was dire.
State TV reported no signs of life from President Raisi’s helicopter. Raisi, 63, elected as President in 2021, had implemented stricter morality laws during his tenure.