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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday in the mountainous northwest of Iran. The Iranian Red Crescent confirmed that rescue teams found the crash site in the difficult-to-access region near the Azerbaijani border on Monday morning. Nine people were on board of the helicopter, including former Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the governor of the provincial capital, Tabriz.

The helicopter was completely burned out following the crash, leaving no hope for survivors. Drone footage released Monday morning shows the wreckage of the destroyed helicopter. The crash occurred as Raisi was en route to a refinery in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province, after inaugurating a dam with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed the United States for the crash in an interview on Monday.

Initially, Iranian state television reported that the helicopter crashed near Jolfa, a city near the Azerbaijani border, approximately 600 kilometers northwest of Tehran. Later reports indicated the crash occurred further east near the village of Uzi, though details remained inconsistent. The Iranian delegation was traveling with three helicopters, the other two reaching their destination unscathed.

National Mourning and International Reactions

Ebrahim Raisi, president since 2021, was known as a hardliner. After the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, he harshly suppressed demonstrators and increasingly isolated Iran from the rest of the world. In response to his death, Iran has declared five days of national mourning. Mohammad Mokhber, the first vice president, has been appointed acting president.

World leaders have expressed their condolences. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “President Xi Jinping noted that President Raisi made significant contributions to maintaining Iran’s security and stability, promoting national development, and fostering the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Iran. His unfortunate death is a great loss for the Iranian people and a loss of a good friend for China.”

EU Council President Charles Michel also expressed his condolences on X (formerly Twitter), joining a host of international leaders who have sent messages of sympathy. In Iran, people gathered in the streets to mourn Raisi’s death, while some reports indicated that certain Iranians worldwide welcomed the news of his passing.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed “deep regret and condolences” over the helicopter crash, calling Raisi’s death a “great loss” and praising his efforts to strengthen Syrian-Iranian relations. Syria and Lebanon have also announced three days of national mourning following the deaths of the Iranian president and foreign minister. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also offered their condolences to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Iranian people.

Despite Tensions between both countries the Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz sent a message to the new acting Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber, expressing his deepest condolences.

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