Iranian President Raisi Killed in Helicopter Crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on Sunday when his helicopter crashed in mountains near the Azerbaijan border due to poor weather conditions, Iranian officials said Monday.

The charred wreckage of the U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six others was found early Monday after an overnight search hampered by blizzards and difficult terrain. All aboard perished in the crash, a senior official told Reuters.

Supreme Leader Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran, announced five days of public mourning and said First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would take over as interim president until new elections within 50 days as required by the constitution.

"I offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran," Khamenei said in a statement. Like Raisi, Mokhber is viewed as being close to the supreme leader.

Footage showed wreckage scattered across a foggy hillside in Varzeqan region, where the helicopter slammed into a mountain peak as Raisi, 63, returned from an official visit to the Azerbaijan border.

While the crash cause remains unclear, an Israeli official denied any involvement by Israel, which has engaged in a shadow war with Iran across the Middle East.

Messages of condolence poured in from Iran's allies including Russia, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah. But the exiled opposition group, the National Council of Resistance, described Raisi's death as a "monumental blow" to the Islamic Republic.

Raisi, elected in 2021 amid widespread protests, ordered a bloody crackdown and pushed a hardline stance in nuclear talks. He was seen by many as the leading contender to eventually replace the 83-year-old Khamenei as supreme leader.