TEHRAN: Iran President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in the East Azerbaijan province on Sunday (May 19), according to Iranian media reports.
The helicopter, which also carried foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, vanished over a mountainous region, sparking an urgent search operation.
Iran’s state television confirmed that there were “no signs of life” among the passengers.
“Upon finding the helicopter, there was no sign of the helicopter passengers being alive as of yet,” the Iranian state TV reported.
The crash comes amid a period of heightened regional tensions, especially due to the ongoing Gaza conflict and Iran’s escalating hostilities with Israel.
President Raisi, who had been in office since 2021, was known for his firm support of Palestine.
He had recently reiterated this stance during a speech at a dam inauguration.
Earlier on Sunday (May 19), Iranian state media shared videos showing President Raisi aboard the helicopter.
The footage captured him looking out of the aircraft window, with several senior officials, including foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, seated opposite him.
Pir Hossein Kolivand, the chief of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, announced to the media that rescuers had sighted the wreckage of the helicopter from a distance of approximately 2 kilometres (1.25 miles) on Monday (May 20) morning.
The helicopter crash occurred during the return trip from Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, following the inauguration of a new dam on the Aras River.
Meanwhile, Israel on Monday (May 20) denied involvement in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in the helicopter crash.
Videos of celebratory fireworks lit up the night sky in Iran following news of the helicopter crash.
While many anxiously awaited updates on the condition of President Ebrahim Raisi, others both in Iran and abroad were seen rejoicing at the potential demise of the 63-year-old leader, often referred to as the “Butcher of Tehran”.
Raisi, a hardline conservative, was a prominent figure in Iran, a country that had shifted towards extreme conservatism following the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Known for his close ties to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Raisi was considered a potential successor to the position of Supreme Leader.
As a theocratic hardliner, Raisi was infamous for his strict enforcement of laws suppressing dissent and free speech.
He was also responsible for the harsh “hijab and chastity law”, which granted extensive powers to the morality police to regulate women’s attire.
His role in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988, while serving as the deputy prosecutor in Tehran, solidified his brutal reputation and earned him his notorious nickname.
Raisi’s leadership symbolized Iran’s extreme conservative turn, contrasting sharply with its more moderate and modern Shia Muslim image before the revolution.