Iran's president killed in helicopter crash after "technical failure": report

Zoom in: Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri confirmed on Monday the deaths of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and seven others who were on board the helicopter when it crashed after state media first reported the news, per Reuters.

• Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) chief Pirhossein Kolivand said earlier Monday that search and rescue crews had reached the crash site in the mountainous northwest region and found no sign of survivors, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency.
• A State Department spokesperson said in an email Sunday night that U.S. officials were closely following reports of a possible hard landing of the helicopter in Iran, but declined to comment further.

The big picture: Raisi, 63, and the others were returning from a ceremony to open the dam of Qiz Qalasi, located on the border of Iran and Azerbaijan, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Three other helicopters were traveling with Raisi's aircraft, but lost contact before the crash.

• Extremely cold weather and dense fog had hampered rescue efforts and delayed finding the precise location after helicopters of the 6th combat base of Tabriz Air Force arrived in the Varzeqan area.
• The commander of Iran's 6th Air Force Base said in a statement Sunday that the helicopters, along with a rescue team, were sent to the site of the crash early that day. "Unfortunately, the operation failed due to unfavorable weather conditions," the commander said.

State of play: Search and rescue teams went to the crash site after the helicopter's "precise geographical coordinates" were determined via aerial monitoring of the region, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

• A Turkish drone identified a heat source that was suspected to be the helicopter's wreckage and details of the coordinates were shared with Iranian officials, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said in a post to X.
• Turkey's defense ministry announced that it had deployed a drone and a helicopter with night vision to assist in the search.
• A signal from the helicopter and a passenger's cell phone had earlier been received after several hours of searching for the crash site.

Zoom out: After winning an election widely seen as orchestrated to ensure his victory in 2021, Raisi's presidency was rocked by two major crises: the 2022 nationwide uprising that Iran's government brutally crushed and overt fighting between Iran and Israel earlier this year.

• Before becoming president, Raisi was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury for allegedly committing human rights abuses while serving as a government prosecutor.
• The Treasury alleged he participated in government commissions that ordered the extrajudicial executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.

What they're saying: After news of the crash emerged, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Iranians to pray "for the health" of Raisi and other passengers in an address on state television, and said there is no reason to be "anxious or worried."

• Mansouri told the country's semi-official news agency FARS on Sunday that contact was made with two passengers onboard the helicopter who indicated the crash was "not severe."
• Raisi's official Instagram account posted a story urging for prayers for the Iranian president and other passengers shortly after the crash was confirmed.

Between the lines: While Raisi was Iran's elected leader, he answered to Khamenei, Iran's head of state.

• Khamenei announced Monday that Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was appointed as acting president, according to Iran's line of succession.
• A new president must be elected within 50 days.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.