ANDIranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister died in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran, the government announced Monday.
(Also read: Iran asked the US for help after the accident in which Raisi died, says the State Department).
Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as interim president and announced five days of mourning in the country.
Rescuers searched for victims in the mountains
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Elected in 2021, Raisi was considered one of the favorites to succeed Khamenei, 85 years old.
(Also read: Iran calls presidential elections for June 28, according to state media)
“The hard-working and tireless president of the Iranian people…has sacrificed his life for the nation,” the government said. “The great spirit of the popular and revolutionary president of
Iran has joined the supreme kingdom,” the official Irna agency indicated.
Press agencies and information sites announced his death in the morning after the discovery of the wreckage of the helicopter. The helicopter in which Raisi was traveling disappeared on Sunday in the afternoon when flying over a mountainous region of
They will face difficult weather conditions, with rain and dense fog.
Rescuers recover the bodies
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International Concern
In addition to the president, the plane also included Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, 60, as well as the governor of East Azerbaijan province, the region’s main imam, the president’s security chief and three crew members.
The rescue forces had a difficult job.
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The situation was closely followed by the international community, especially the United States, Russia, China and neighboring countries. Indian Prime Minister Nerendra Modi said Monday he was “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic death” of the Iranian president.
AFP
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