Iran president helicopter crash: Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister have died

Ebrahim Raisi, the eighth president of Iran, has been martyred after a helicopter carrying him and his entourage crashed in Varzaqan region in East Azarbaijan Province, northwest of the country.  

Raisi’s helicopter, along with two more copters, was en route to Tabriz City on Sunday after he inaugurated Qiz Qalasi Dam at the border with the Azerbaijan Republic earlier in the day.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azarbaijan Province’s Governor Malek Rahmati, and Mehdi Mousavi, the head of Raisi’s bodyguard team were on board the crashed aircraft as well. Mohammad Ali Al-e-Hashem, the Supreme Leader’s representative in the province also accompanied them.

Local officials present at the crash site have confirmed the martyrdom of Raisi and his accompanying team.

Ebrahim Raisi, 63, was born in the holy city of Mashhad. He was elected president in 2021. Before that, he served as the judiciary chief, the general prosecutor and the vice-chairman of the Assembly of Experts. Raisi was also a member of the Expediency Council.

In September 2023, on the occasion of Government Week in Iran, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei praised the Raisi administration’s performance in various sectors including economy and foreign policy.