Iranian State Media Reports Death of President Raisi in Helicopter Crash.
On May 20th, Iranian state media reported that President Ebrahim Raisi and several other Iranian officials were killed in a helicopter crash in the northwestern part of the country.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed the news on his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter.
In his post, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his grief over the “martyrdom” of Mr.
Raisi and his entourage.
He emphasized that this tragic event occurred while the president was actively serving the people of Iran.
The helicopter crash took place on May 19th in Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province, where President Raisi was traveling with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the province’s governor, and other officials.
Immediately after the crash, a search and rescue operation was launched in the area of the wreckage.
Later on, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that all passengers aboard the helicopter had been “martyred.
In response to this tragic incident, Ayatollah Khamenei called upon the Iranian people to remain calm and reassured them that there would be no disruption to administrative affairs.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his deep sadness over the helicopter crash and stated that his government was “in full contact and coordination” with Iranian authorities.
Ebrahim Raisi had been sanctioned by the United States in 2019 due to his involvement in human rights violations spanning over three decades.
The tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated in recent months as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as Iran’s support for Houthi terrorists in Yemen who have been targeting ships with ties to Israel in the Red Sea.