President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and everyone on board the crashed helicopter were killed. Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
One of three helicopters from the motorcade of the country’s President Ebrahim Raisi disappeared in Iran on May 19. The President, Governor of East Azerbaijan Province and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were on board. According to preliminary data, the helicopter «made a hard landing» in the north-west of the country.
Search teams found the helicopter crash site today.
Ebrahim Raisi was born on December 14, 1960 in Mashhad, in the family of a clergyman. His father and mother belonged to the Sayyids, who are considered descendants of the family of the Prophet Muhammad.
At the age of five, he lost his father and received his initial traditional education in one of the madrassas in Mashhad. At the age of 15 he began studying at a madrasah in the city of Qom. His mentors were famous ayatollahs. He also has a law degree and a doctor’s degree in private law.
He began working as a prosecutor in the 1980s. He worked in prosecutorial positions in different regions and in the capital. Later he took the post of Prosecutor General of Iran.
In May 2017, he became a candidate for presidency of Iran, but lost to Hassan Rouhani. At the next regular elections in June 2021 he won with 62 percent of the votes.
It was previously reported that in case of the death of Ebrahim Raisi, 70-year-old First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber would temporarily fulfill his duties.
The President of Iran is the second most important official of the state (after the spiritual leader). According to Article 131 of the Iranian Constitution, in case of the death of the president, his powers are transferred to the first vice president.
