Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage were killed in a helicopter crash

Iranian media officially announced that Islamic President Ebrahim Raisi and his eight-member delegation, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were killed in a helicopter crash.

On Monday morning, May 21, 18 hours after the helicopter crash that took off from the Iranian border with Azerbaijan, the Tasnim and Mehr news agencies confirmed the end of the search operation and the death of the Iranian head of state and foreign minister after finding the wreckage.

An Iranian official also confirmed to Reuters that Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage were killed.

With the failure of Iranian rescue teams to identify the crash site of the helicopter, regional countries, including Turkey and Russia, rushed to the aid of the Islamic Republic by sending rescuers and aerial equipment. Ultimately, the Turkish Akinci drone identified the crash site, which is near a mountainous village called "Tawil" in East Azerbaijan Province.

There are still many uncertainties surrounding the incident, but Chuck Schumer, the majority leader in the US Senate, cited the assessment of US intelligence officials and said that "there is no evidence of sabotage," although the investigation is still ongoing.

Reports indicate that there was heavy rain and fog in the area when the helicopter carrying the Islamic President of Iran and his entourage crashed.

Seyyed Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, the Imam of Friday prayers in Tabriz, Hossein Malik Rahmati, the Governor of East Azerbaijan, and several others were among the passengers on the helicopter.

Ebrahim Raisi, 63, won one of Iran's most uncompetitive presidential elections in 1400, an election that had the lowest turnout of any presidential election in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Source: Radio Farda