Iran’s supreme leader named First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as the nation’s interim president following President Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash.
The declaration was made by Iran’s top leader, Ali Khamenei, in a letter of condolence he posted following Raisi’s death in the crash on Sunday. In north-west Iran, the helicopter was discovered on Monday.
In the statement, Khamenei declared a five-day mourning period as well. According to state TV, Mokhber represented the executive branch during the unusual meeting of Iran’s three branches of government on Monday. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches are the three to which state TV alluded.
On Monday morning, Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other high-ranking officials were declared deceased following a nighttime search that was hindered by inclement weather.
The tragedy happened on Sunday afternoon in the mountainous region of the East Azerbaijan province in north-west Iran. Dozens of emergency rescue teams were sent there.
World leaders’ reactions have begun to come in since Iranian state officials confirmed Raisi’s death. Erdogan and the foreign minister of Turkey sent their condolences to Tehran following the deaths of Raisi and other high-ranking officials in a helicopter crash.
“Türkiye will stand by Iran ‘in these difficult and sad times’,” President Erdogan said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness and grief at the terrible death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
“My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran,” Modi posted on social media platform X. “India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.”
According to Beijing’s foreign ministry, Chinese President Xi Jinping described Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s “tragic death” in a helicopter crash as a “great loss to the Iranian people.”
“President Xi Jinping pointed out (that)… His (Raisi’s) tragic death is a great loss to the Iranian people, and the Chinese people have lost a good friend,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference.
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