Tehran, 20 May 2024 (TDI): Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian have been killed in a helicopter crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died after a helicopter carrying him and other officials crashed in a mountainous area in East Azerbaijan Province in poor weather.
Rescue teams had been scouring the area since Sunday after the helicopter carrying President Raisi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, and other officials had gone missing.
Furthermore, Countries such as Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia, China, and Turkey expressed concern. The European Union also activated its rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort.
Early Monday Iran’s State Media announced, “The servant of Iranian National Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi has achieved the highest level of Martyrdom while serving the people.”
The 63-year-old was president for nearly three years, representing hardline factions in Iranian politics, and appeared on track to run for re-election next year.
Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian was close to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Moreover, he confronted the West while also overseeing indirect talks with the United States over the country’s nuclear program.
Hossein Amirabdollahian served under President Ebrahim Raisi, a protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and followed their policies.
Also Read: Helicopter carrying Iran’s president suffers a hard landing
More recently, Iran and its network of terror groups actively participated in the war with Israel, with Tehran backing Hamas.
Raisi backed Iran’s decision to launch its first direct attack on Israel. On April 13 Iran attacked Israel and played down the severity of Israel’s subsequent counterattack.
On the morning of the helicopter crash, Raisi reaffirmed Iran’s support for Palestinians, emphasizing that “Palestine is the primary issue of the Muslim world.”
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