So far, Iran has not said that they suspect a foreign power or an assassination attempt behind what happened.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raiszi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were killed in the crash of the helicopter carrying them on Sunday. The announcement was also confirmed by the vice president, Mohszen Manszúri, on X.

Citing Iranian official sources, news agencies reported that the helicopter – an American-made Bell 212 aircraft – was completely burnt out in the accident.

According to Iranian law, the interim president will be the former first vice president, Mohsen Mokber.

On Sunday, Raisi traveled to East Azerbaijan Province to inspect the third dam built by the two countries on the Aras River together with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. The accident happened near the town of Varzekán, close to the Azeri border, on the way back. IRNA knows that the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province and a religious leader of the provincial capital, Tabriz, were traveling on the plane.

The conservative Raiszi, who pursues a hard-line policy, took office in August 2021.

On Monday, the Iranian cabinet held its second extraordinary meeting within twenty-four hours, after the news of Raiszi's death became certain.

The meeting - just like the first meeting called on Sunday evening following the news of the accident - was chaired by First Vice President Mohszen Mokber, who, according to Iranian law (after the approval of the country's supreme religious and political leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), succeeds Raisi in his office.

Presidential elections must be held in the country within 50 days of approval.

Meanwhile, Pírhosein Kulivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent, announced that no one had survived the fall, the bodies would be transported to the nearby city of Tabriz, and the search teams would be called back.

Raiszi's death will not cause the slightest disturbance in the leadership, the cabinet stated on Monday.

According to reports so far, the Iranian president's helicopter had to make an emergency landing due to heavy rain and stormy winds, which ended in tragedy. So far, Iran has not said that they suspect a foreign power or an assassination attempt behind what happened.

On Monday morning, the Turkish authorities released the drone footage, which presumably shows a fire at the scene of the accident. According to the coordinates, the recording was taken about 20 kilometers south of the Azeri-Iranian border.

Al-Jazeera pan-Arab news television, referring to aviation safety expert Kyle Bailey, said that the helicopter in trouble did not issue an emergency signal, and this may indicate an error in control.

Condolences were expressed by the Prime Ministers of Iraq, Mohammed al-Sudani and Narendra Modi of India, as well as Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates, Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria and Nicolás Maduro, President of Venezuela, as well as the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Shani, and Also Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who called the deceased a true friend of Russia.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

The Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni Houthi rebels, and the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah expressed their "sympathy" to the Iranian people and assured Tehran of their support.

MTI
Mandiner.hu

Cover image: The scene of the accident
Source: X