TEHRAN (Agencies): Iranian state media have confirmed that President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday in the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan. His entire entourage, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Governor of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati, also perished.
The head of state had traveled to the border region after joining Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday to inaugurate a dam123. Reports of a “crash landing” began circulating on Sunday afternoon, with Iranian state media citing Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi. IRNA news agency reported dense fog in the mountainous area where the aircraft went down.
Raisi was traveling in a US-made Bell 212. Low visibility and the impassibility of the area made search operations difficult. Rescue teams finally managed to locate the crash site on Monday morning with the help of Turkish surveillance drones.
The wreckage was discovered in a wooded area on a mountain slope123. The aircraft was severely damaged and charred, and there were no signs of survivors. With Raisi’s passing, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is expected to take office as interim leader.
- Speculations and Unconfirmed Reports
Meanwhile, reports on social media point fingers towards Israeli Mossad Agency involvement in it.
Iranian intelligence is on the hunt for an Indian national spotted near the helicopter just hours before President Raisi’s boarding.
Reports of Iranian Intelligence agencies conducting raids on Indian assets in Iran have also surfaced which has not yet been confirmed.