The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash while returning to Iran from East Azerbaijan. His aide and Foreign Minister Hossein Ami-Abdollahian were killed when their craft reportedly met with a hard landing. Raisi was 63. There were a total of 9 people on boardincluding the two named above, and all are confirmed to be dead.

As per the Iranian Constitution, the first Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber will assume powers and elections will be held within 50 days of the President's demise, to elect a new President.

The search for the remains of the passengers of the ill-fated craft had been hampered by severe fog and accompanying rain around the crash site, near the Dizmar Forest, which lies between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. The crash site was found after a long search operation.

About Raisi

Ebrahim Raisi had held several top positions and even been at the helm of Iran's judiciary, before he was elected President of the Middle East nation in 2021, representing the hardline factions of Iran's political ecosystem. Raisi was also seen to be the successor to Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. His black turban, like the Ayatollah represented his identity as a Sayyid, descendants of Prophet Mohammad, a very significant status among the Twelver Shia'as.

Raisi was a religiously conservative leader and his stint at top offices including the top position in the Judiciary gave him access to the elite. His being a part of the 1988 execution of political prisoners made him infamous among the Iran opposition and also led to the US imposing sanctions against him. After the death of Ayatollah Khomenei in 1989 he was appointed procecutor or Tehran and continued to rise through the ranks under Ayatollah Khamenei. He became the chairman of Astan Quds Razavi in March 2016, which cemented his position in Iran's political and religious establishments.