Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other senior officials perish in helicopter crash near Azerbaijan border
Officials and state media reported Monday that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and several other senior officials were killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border.
The demise of Iran’s president is not anticipated to disrupt the nation’s domestic or foreign affairs. However, occurring amidst heightened international tensions, it is likely to fuel speculation regarding the eventual successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi, aged 63, was considered a potential successor to the 85-year-old cleric.
Raisi and Amirabdollahian, aged 60, were en route from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan in the mountainous northwest following the inauguration of a joint dam project. Their helicopter crashed in a remote area on Sunday. Search efforts were hampered by blizzards and challenging terrain, resulting in the officials being missing for over 12 hours.
 "Raising the Alarm on Election Integrity")
