Iran helicopter crash LIVE: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi killed alongside country’s foreign minister killed after plane crashes into mountain range – latest updates

World leaders have expressed their condolences to Iran following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi.

Here are statements from the leaders of India, Pakistan and Venezuela.

Footage showing President Raisi aboard the helicopter that crashed and killed him has been released.

Raisi was seen looking out the window of the plane, which was traveling in East Azerbaijan province near Jolfa, about 375 miles northwest of Tehran, when it crashed.

Here’s a map that shows where the helicopter carrying President Raisi crashed, killing him and his officials.

The plane was taking Raisi from the Azerbaijani border to Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province, when it encountered difficulties and crashed in a mountainous area on Sunday.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed Sunday when a helicopter he was traveling in crashed in a mountainous region in northwest Iran.

The plane encountered difficulties in thick fog while transporting Mr. Raisi and his officials to the city of Tabriz.

Here are some photographs from the helicopter crash and search and rescue efforts.

According to Iran’s constitution, Iran’s deputy prime president takes over if the president dies upon the arrival of Ayatollah Khamenei, and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days.

Iranian state media previously reported that Mohammad Mokhber, 68, had assumed the role of interim president and had already started receiving calls from foreign officials and governments.

Mokhber will lead an interim government alongside the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and the head of the judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i.

Qalibaf, who campaigned for the Iranian presidency as early as 2005, is expected to be one of the candidates seeking to succeed Raisi.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was a radical cleric who rose from hardline prosecutor to hardline president and was tipped to one day succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the country’s supreme leader.

Here is a brief overview of his life and political career:

• Raisi was born in 1960 into a religious family in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Mashhad, Iran. At the age of five, he lost his father but followed in his footsteps to become a clerk.
• As a young student in a religious seminary in the holy city of Qom, Raisi participated in protests against the Western-backed Shah during the 1979 revolution. Later, his contacts with religious leaders in Qom made him him a trusted figure in the justice system.
• Raissi was elected president in a closely controlled vote in 2021, in which he took a tough stance in nuclear negotiations.
• His victory placed all branches of Iranian power under the control of extremists loyal to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, strengthening his chances of succeeding him.
• Raisi oversaw his country’s crackdown on protests with his hardline stance evident a year into his presidency when he ordered stricter enforcement of Iran’s “hijab and chastity” law restricting dress and behavior of women.

If you’ve just woken up, here’s everything you need to know this morning:

• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead after rescuers found a helicopter carrying him and other officials crashed in Iran’s northwestern mountainous regions on Sunday.
• Raïssi, 63, was among nine people declared dead alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
• Rescuers battled through the night through blizzards and difficult terrain to reach the wreckage in the early hours of Monday, after Russian-backed search efforts were hampered by bad weather.
• The Iranian government held an “urgent meeting” on Monday, with Raisi’s seat left vacant and covered in a black belt – state TV channels broadcast Islamic prayers between news broadcasts.
• Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran’s first vice president, will take on the role of interim president and has already fielded calls from foreign leaders offering condolences, state media reported.

We will bring you new developments as we have them.

Mr. Raisi was one of nine people killed on Sunday when a helicopter crashed in the mountainous regions of northwest Iran.

The 63-year-old was traveling to the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz after attending the opening ceremony of a new dam along the country’s border with Azerbaijan.

We will provide live updates today following confirmation that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (pictured) has been killed in a helicopter crash.

Mr. Raisi was on board a plane alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian when it crashed into a mountain range on Sunday.

We’ll bring you the latest news, reactions and analysis on this breaking news story.