Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi killed in helicopter crash – state TV
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has been killed in a helicopter crash, state media confirmed. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also died in Sunday’s crash, along with several others.
The Iranian helicopter crash was part of a convoy of three, that went down in heavy fog in the north of the country.
President Raisi was en route to the city of Tabriz, in north-west Iran, after attending a dam opening ceremony on the Azerbaijan border. The president, was a cleric who was closely allied with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
An election to choose a new president is set to take place within the next 50 days.
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Ebrahim Raisi dead: funeral to be held tomorrow – reports
Iranian news outlet Tasnim, which is affiliated to the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, is reporting that President Ebrahim Raisi’s funeral will be held tomorrow in Tabriz – the city he was travelling to yesterday.
The outlet says funerals for the other victims will also be held, citing officials in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. The bodies will be taken to a forensics department in Tabriz beforehand.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also issued an official statement announcing five days of public mourning for the revered President Raisi killed in a helicopter crash.