Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Amir-Abdollahian killed in helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan province, Iranian state media confirmed on May 20. Rescuers found the wreckage in the morning after an all-night search in thick fog and said there were no survivors.

The Bell 212 helicopter went down on May 19 in a mountainous area near Varzaqan, returning from the inauguration of a dam on the Aras river on the border with Azerbaijan, which Raisi opened together with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Those killed also included provincial governor Malek Rahmati and Tabriz Friday prayer leader Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

Who runs the state

Under Iran's constitution, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber takes over the presidency with the approval of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a new presidential election must be held within 50 days. Ali Bagheri Kani, until now the chief nuclear negotiator, became acting foreign minister.