FM Amirabdollahian among those killed, official says helicopter completely destroyed in crash
\n DUBAI
\nIranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died after his helicopter crashed in poor weather in mountains near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.
\nThe charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.
\nSupreme Leader Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran\u2019s nuclear programme, said First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, would take over as interim president, the official IRNA news agency reported.
\n\u201cI announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,\u201d Khamenei said in a statement. Mokhber, like Raisi, is seen as close to Khamenei.
\nUnder the Islamic Republic\u2019s constitution, a new presidential election must be held within 50 days.
\nFootage from Iranian state television showed wreckage scattered on a foggy hillside, while separate images from IRNA showed Red Crescent workers carrying a covered body on a stretcher. All those aboard the helicopter were killed, a senior Iranian official had earlier told Reuters.
\nDeputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani was appointed as acting foreign minister following the death of Amirabdollahian, IRNA said.
\nState media reported that images from the site showed the US-made Bell 212 helicopter slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash. The dead also included the governor of East Azerbaijan Province and a senior imam from Tabriz city.
\nAn Israeli official told Reuters it was not involved in the crash. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t us,\u201d said the official, who requested anonymity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FM Amirabdollahian among those killed, official says helicopter completely destroyed in crash DUBAI Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died after his helicopter crashed in poor weather in mountains near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday. The charred wreckage of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-408220","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n