Early on Monday morning, Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash in the northern province of East Azerbaijan. Reports indicate that there were no survivors among those on board. ‘President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,’ a senior Iranian official told Reuters, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The helicopter carrying nine people ran into trouble in heavy fog while returning from a trip to the Iran-Azerbaijan border, Iranian officials said on Sunday. The crash triggered an extensive search-and-rescue operation, with assistance from the European Union, Turkey, and others. However, the operation was hindered by dense fog and plunging temperatures.

Upon Iranian request for assistance we are activating the 🇪🇺's @CopernicusEMS rapid response 📡 mapping service in view of to the helicopter accident reportedly carrying the President of #Iran and its foreign minister. #EUSolidarity

— Janez Lenarčič (@JanezLenarcic) May 19, 2024

On behalf of the Hungarian government, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán extended his condolences to the people of Iran.

‘I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Iranian people upon the tragic acccident that took the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Iran,’

he wrote in a post on X.

I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Iranian people upon the tragic acccident that took the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Iran.

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) May 20, 2024

European Council President Charles Michel reacted to the tragic news on X. ‘The EU expresses its sincere condolences for the death of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian, as well as other members of their delegation and crew in a helicopter accident. Our thoughts go to the families,’ Michel wrote.

The EU expresses its sincere condolences for the death of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian, as well as other members of their delegation and crew in a helicopter accident. Our thoughts go to the families.

— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) May 20, 2024

As noted by The New York Times, Ebrahim Raisi, a 63-year-old hard-line religious cleric, was elected as Iran’s president in 2021. During his tenure, he has pursued a strategy aimed at expanding Iran’s regional influence by supporting militant proxies across the Middle East, accelerating the country’s nuclear program, and bringing Iran to the brink of war with Israel.

Mr. Raisi was regarded

as a potential successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme leader,

the highest political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic. On Monday, Khamenei expressed his condolences for the ‘martyrdom’ of President Raisi and his companions, as reported by Reuters.

According to the Iranian constitution, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, a former officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, will temporarily step up as president, until a snap election will be held within 50 days.

Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Ali Bagheri Kani has been named acting foreign minister. Bagheri Kani has previously served as the top negotiator in the nuclear deal discussions between Iran and world powers, including the United States, the European Union, and Russia.

The death of President Raisi came just a month after Tehran launched a massive retaliatory strike against Israel in response to the Jewish state’s attack on Iran’s embassy in Damascus on 1 April. The Tehran attack aimed at Israel involved at least 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and over 120 ballistic missiles. The Israeli air defence successfully intercepted 99 per cent of these projectiles before they breached the state’s airspace.

Israeli official told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Raisi’s death.

Hamas extended its ‘deepest condolences and solidarity’ to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Iranian government, and the Iranian people over ‘this immense loss.’ The group commended the deceased Iranian leaders for their support of the Palestinian cause and resistance against Israel. It also expressed confidence that Iran’s ‘deep-rooted institutions’ would help the country withstand ‘the repercussions of this great loss.’

Yemeni Houthi rebels also expressed their condolences following the sudden death of President Raisi. ‘Our deepest condolences to the Iranian people, the Iranian leadership, and the families of President Raisi and the accompanying delegation on their reported martyrdom. We ask God to grant their families patience and solace. Verily we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return. The Iranian people will remain committed to the loyal leaders of their nation, by God’s will,’ stated Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, head of Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee.

Besides Hamas and the Houthis, Hezbollah—an Iranian-backed Lebanese paramilitary organization—also responded to the death of President Raisi. They described him as ‘a big brother to us, a strong supporter, and a staunch defender of our issues and those of the Arab nations, most notably concerning Jerusalem and Palestine. He was a protector of the resistance movements and those fighting on their behalf in all the positions of responsibility he held.’

Russia and China were the first major powers to express their condolences, while

the United States had remained silent on the issue at the time of writing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping described the ‘tragic death’ of Raisi in a helicopter crash as ‘a great loss to the Iranian people.’ Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to Raisi as an ‘outstanding’ leader. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov remarked that Raisi and his foreign minister had been ‘true friends’ of Moscow.

Update:

The US delayed its response to the death of President Raisi, the White House’s first official reaction was communicated by John Kirby, a national security spokesman on Monday afternoon. He stated that while the US government extended condolences for President Raisi’s death, it would continue to hold Iran accountable for destabilizing behaviour. Kirby also accused Raisi of being responsible for Iran’s support of terrorist networks throughout the region, specifically mentioning Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.