Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash in the country’s East Azerbaijan province.
The 63-year-old president was traveling with other officials when the helicopter came down in a forested area due to poor weather conditions.
Okay.ng reports that Raisi was elected president in 2021 and was considered a hardline conservative figure in Iranian politics. He was also a potential successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 85-year-old supreme leader of Iran.
Born in Mashhad, Raisi underwent religious education and was trained at the seminary in Qom. He served as a prosecutor and later became attorney general in 2014. He also led the Iranian judiciary system and was a member of the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for choosing a replacement for the supreme leader.
Raisi was a strong critic of Israel and the United States, and had promised revenge against Israel after it levelled Tehran’s consulate building in Syria. He was also a champion of the “axis of resistance” and supported political and armed groups across the region.
His death comes as a surprise, and the search for survivors continues. The incident has raised questions about the future of Iranian politics and the potential successor to Ayatollah Khamenei.
Raisi’s presidency was marked by a hawkish stance on Iran’s nuclear deal and support for the “resistance” policy adopted by Khamenei. His death may have significant implications for Iran’s domestic and foreign policies.
