Iran announced five days of national mourning following the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and several other senior officials who were killed in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan border. Crowds gathered in mosques and squares across the nation on Monday, paying respects to the leaders lost in Sunday’s crash amid severe weather.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as interim president, while Ali Bagheri Kani will act as foreign minister until new elections on June 28. A national holiday was declared for Wednesday, aligning with funerals, and Raisi will be buried in Mashhad on Thursday.
The crash site revealed the wreckage after an overnight search in blizzard conditions. Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu noted the helicopter lacked an active signal system, complicating emergency response efforts.
Raisi and Amirabdollahian’s absence is not expected to shift Iran’s foreign policy drastically, as it remains influenced by the National Security Council and Supreme Leader Khamenei.
