The president of Iran Ibrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash

Author:
Sofiia Telishevska
Date:

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Iranian administration convened an emergency meeting after the official confirmation of the death of President Ibrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

Information about this is reported by the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The first vice president of Iran, Mohsen Mansoori, will serve as the countryʼs president for 50 days. Extraordinary presidential elections should be held during this time.

Also on board the helicopter were:

  • Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country Husein-Amir Abdullahian;
  • governor of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati;
  • the representative of the leader of the Islamic Revolution in this province, Ayatollah Mohammed Ali Ale-Hashem;
  • Seyed Mehdi Mousavi, head of the presidential security unit;
  • pilot;
  • second pilot;
  • technical officer

A helicopter from Raisi crashed on May 19, when the Iranian president was returning from the opening of a dam on the border with Azerbaijan in heavy fog. In total, there were three helicopters with "ministers and officials", two of them landed without problems.

  • The President of Iran is the head of government of the Islamic Republic. This is the highest elected position in the state, but the president is subordinate to the supreme leader, the ayatollah. It is the Ayatollah who is the head of state and commander of the armed forces. This is the highest official in Iran. The president has rather limited power — he can sign international treaties, agreements with other countries and organizations, appoint ministers and governors, but has no influence on foreign policy and the army.