New Delhi: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and others were found dead on Monday at the site of a helicopter crash after an hours-long search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported.
India was among the first countries to offer condolences, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was "saddened and shocked" by the demise of the Iranian president.
Iran's State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. With Raisi were Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Turkish authorities early Monday released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be the wreckage of a helicopter.” The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire some 20 kilometres south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.
Footage released by the IRNA early Monday showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a green mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: “There it is, we found it.” Shortly after, state TV in an on-screen scrolling text said: “There is no sign of life from people on board.”
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- 6.25 PM - India Announces One-Day State Mourning on May 21
A one-day state mourning will be observed across India on Tuesday as a mark of respect for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, the Union Home Ministry has announced. The national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is regularly flown across India and there will be no official entertainment during the period of state mourning. - 6.00 PM - Putin Speaks With Iran's Acting President
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday spoke on the phone with Mohammad Mokhber, Iran’s first vice president who has been named the country’s acting president following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, the Kremlin said. Putin extended his condolences to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mokhber and “all the people of Iran,” and emphasized that he knew and appreciated Raisi "as a reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of friendly relations between Russia and Iran.” Mokhber, the Kremlin said, “expressed sincere gratitude for the words of sympathy and support during this difficult time for the country.” - 5.10 PM PM - Visuals from the crash siteS (S)
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- 4.10 PM - Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Sunni Religious Institution Mourns Iran Deaths
The Al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Sunni world’s foremost seat of religious learning, on Monday mourned the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others who were killed in a helicopter crash. In a statement, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo-based Al-Azhar, extended his condolences to the Iranian people and the families of the dead officials. Al-Azhar is a prestigious religious institution across the Muslim world. A 1,000-year-old university of scholar-clerics, it teaches new generations of Sunni clerics and produces research that for many spells out what being a Muslim entails. - 3.55 PM - Iran's Nuclear Negotiator appointed as Foreign Ministry Caretaker
Iran’s acting president has appointed the country's nuclear negotiator as the Foreign Ministry caretaker after Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was killed in a helicopter crash, state TV reported Monday. Acting President Mohammad Mokhber appointed Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s nuclear negotiator, as Foreign Ministry caretaker, Cabinet spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi was quoted as saying. Mokhber was appointed acting president by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday after the crashed helicopter was found in northwestern Iran. - 3.45 PM - Palestine Groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad Mourn Iran Deaths
Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both combatants against Israeli forces in the ongoing war in Gaza and both of which have received military support from Tehran, issued statements Monday mourning the deaths of Iran’s president and foreign minister. Hamas said the helicopter crash had “claimed the lives of a group of the best Iranian leaders," praising their “honorable positions in support of our Palestinian cause, and support for the legitimate struggle of our people against the Zionist entity,” referring to Israel. “We are confident that the Islamic Republic of Iran will be able — God willing — to overcome the repercussions of this great loss. The dear Iranian people have ancient institutions capable of dealing with this severe ordeal,” the statement said. The Islamic Jihad, similarly, called the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian “a great loss for the Palestinian people in these difficult circumstances, as they had a prominent and clear role in supporting and assisting the Palestinian people’s struggle and resistance.” - 3.40 PM - Afghan Taliban Mourn Raisi
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers on Monday said they were deeply saddened by the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister in a helicopter crash. “We share our grief with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the people of that country and offer our condolences to all the families of the victims, the nation and the government of Iran,” the Taliban prime minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, said in a statement. - 3.30 PM - China's Xi Jinping Expresses Condolences to Iran
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed deep condolences on Monday over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. “His unfortunate death is a huge loss to the Iranian people, and also caused China to lose a good friend,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a daily news briefing. Xi also praised Raisi’s “important contributions to safeguarding Iran’s security and stability” and for “positive efforts” on China-Iran relations. Wang also expressed condolences over the death of Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and said China would continue to provide necessary assistance and support to Iran. - 2.45 PM - Iran's First Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, Appointed Acting President After Crash?
Iran's first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was appointed as acting president of the Islamic Republic on Monday after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in the country's northwest. Mokhber, 68, largely has been in the shadows compared to other politicians in Iran's Shiite theocracy. Raisi's death under the constitution thrust Mokhber into public view. He is expected to serve as caretaker president for some 50 days before mandatory presidential elections in Iran. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the announcement of Mokhber’s appointment in a condolence message he shared for Raisi’s death in the crash Sunday. The helicopter was found Monday in northwestern Iran. Read More... - 2.05 PM - Putin Calls Raisi's Death 'Irreparable Loss'
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday extended his “deep condolences” to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling the deaths of the country’s president and other officials a “huge tragedy” and “a difficult, irreparable loss.” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin, was “an outstanding politician whose entire life was devoted to serving the Motherland.” “He rightfully enjoyed high respect from his compatriots and significant authority abroad. As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good neighbourly relations between our countries and made great efforts to bring them to the level of strategic partnership,” the Russian president said. Putin said that he had met Raisi several times and “will forever retain the fondest memory of this wonderful man.” - 1.55 PM - Turkey's Erdogan Says He Remembers Raisi 'With Respect and Gratitude'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed his condolences to the Iranian people and government over the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials in a helicopter crash. Erdogan said in a statement posted on social platform X that he remembers Raisi “with respect and gratitude” and praised his “efforts for the peace of the Iranian people and our region during his time in office.” Turkish authorities dispatched a drone late on Sunday to help locate the wreckage and early on Monday released footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be the wreckage of a helicopter." - 1.48 PM - Lebanon Declares 3-day mourning
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared three days of mourning in the country in response to the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, with flags at official institutions to be flown at half-staff. Lebanon’s political factions are deeply divided between those in support of Iran and its protege, Hezbollah, and those opposed to Iranian influence in the country. - 1.30 PM - Syria's Assad Praises Late Iranian President's 'Visions and Ideas'
Syrian President Bashar Assad sent his condolences to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the deaths of the country’s president and foreign minister and their accompanying delegation. Iran’s intervention in the Syrian civil war on behalf of Assad’s embattled government helped to keep the Syrian president in power. “We worked with the late president (Raisi) to ensure that the strategic relations between Syria and Iran remain prosperous always, and we will always remember his visit to Syria as an important milestone in this path, and all the visions and ideas that he presented to enrich relations with everything that benefits the Syrian and Iranian peoples,” Assad’s office said in a statement. - 12.58 PM - Azerbaijan President Sends Condolences
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev extended condolences to Iran’s supreme leader, saying in a statement that he and his government were “deeply shocked by the heavy loss that befell the brotherly and friendly Islamic Republic of Iran and its people.” In Raisi “the people of Iran have lost an outstanding statesman who served his country selflessly and faithfully all his life. The bright memory of him will always live in our hearts,” Aliyev said. - 12.55 PM - Hezbollah Mons Death, Calls Raisi 'A Big Brother to Us'
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has received substantial backing from Iran and is a senior member of its regional “axis of resistance,” mourned the deaths of the Iranian president and foreign minister in a statement. It described Raisi as “a big brother to us, a strong supporter, and a staunch defender of our issues and the Arab nations’ issues, most notably Jerusalem and Palestine, and a protector of the resistance movements and those fighting on their behalf in all the positions of responsibility he held.” - 12.50 PM - Egyptian President Calls Raisi's Death 'A Great Loss'
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has mourned the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior officials in the helicopter crash. In a statement, el-Sissi expressed his country’s solidarity with “the leadership and people of Iran in this great loss.” - 12.30 PM - Iran's Cabinet Holds Emergency Meeting After President's Death
Iran's Cabinet held an emergency meeting as state media announced the death of President Ebrahim Raisi. The Cabinet offered its condolences, saying in a statement that he made the ultimate sacrifice in serving his country, according to a report by the state-run IRNA news agency. The report was accompanied by a photo of Raisi's chair draped in black, his photo on the desk. We assure our loyal and appreciative and beloved nation that the path of service will continue with the tireless spirit of Ayatollah Raisi, the hero and the servant of the nation and the faithful friend of the leadership, the Cabinet said in a statement carried by IRNA. - 11.46 AM - Pakistan Announces Day of Mourning
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced a day of mourning over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. “I along with the government and people of Pakistan extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the Iranian nation on this terrible loss. May the martyred souls rest in heavenly peace. The great Iranian nation will overcome this tragedy with customary courage,” Sharif wrote on the social platform X on Monday. Sharif recently hosted Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian when they visited Pakistan and said: “They were good friends of Pakistan." Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement also expressed shock and sorrow over Raisi's death. - 11.00 AM - Houthi Leader in Yemen Mourns Iranian President's Death
A Houthi leader in Yemen on Monday mourned the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior officials who were killed in a helicopter crash. “Our deepest condolences to the Iranian people and the Iranian leadership and to the families of the president and the accompanying delegation,” Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committees. “The Iranian people will continue to have leaders loyal to their people, God willing.” Iran is the main backer of the Houthis in their years-long war against Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition. - 10.30 AM - Deeply Saddened and Shocked, Says PM Modi
PM Narendra Modi tweets, "Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow."
HELICOPTER CRASH COULD REVERBERATE ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST
The crash of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and other officials is likely to reverberate across the Middle East.
That’s because Iran has spent decades supporting armed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Palestinian territories that allow it to project power and potentially deter attacks from the United States or Israel, the sworn enemies of its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Tensions have never been higher than they were last month, when Iran under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in response to an airstrike on an Iranian Consulate in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers.
Israel, with the help of the U.S., Britain, Jordan and others, intercepted nearly all the projectiles. In response, Israel apparently launched its own strike against an air defense radar system in the Iranian city of Isfahan, causing no casualties but sending an unmistakable message.
The sides have waged a shadow war of covert operations and cyberattacks for years, but the exchange of fire in April was their first direct military confrontation. (AP inputs)
