Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s Foreign Minister and several other officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported. Raisi was 63. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hours later announced Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, would serve as the country’s acting president until elections are held. Khamenei also announced five days of public mourning.
India announced one-day State mourning on Tuesday as a mark of respect for President Raisi. The Union Home Ministry said 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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Congress president Malliarjun Kharge expressed shock and sadness at the demise of the Iranian President. Modi said, “India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.”
“As a mark of respect to the departed dignitaries, the Government of India has decided that there will be one day’s State mourning on May 21 (Tuesday) throughout India,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, state TV gave no immediate cause for the crash that occurred in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. Among the dead was Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, 60.
The helicopter also carried the Governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, other officials and bodyguards, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
It was last month when tension had increased in the region after Iran and Israel had clashed in worrying, unprecedented fashion. But temperatures cooled after the intervention of the US and other world powers.
Early Monday morning, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be 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.”
Condolences started pouring in from neighbours and allies after Iran confirmed there were no survivors from the crash. Modi said in a post on X that India “stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.”
Pakistan announced a day of mourning while leaders of Egypt and Jordan also offered condolences, as did Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed his condolences. Russian president Vladimir Putin, in a statement released by the Kremlin, described Raisi “as a true friend of Russia”.
Khamenei, who had himself urged the public to pray on Sunday night, stressed the business of Iran’s Government would continue no matter what. Under the Iranian constitution, Iran’s vice first president takes over if the president dies, with Khamenei’s assent, and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days.
An emergency meeting of Iran’s Cabinet was held as state media made the announcement on Monday morning. The Cabinet issued a statement afterward pledging it would follow Raisi’s path and that “with the help of God and the people, there will be no problem with management of the country.”
Modi said, “Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Modi said on X.
“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,” the Prime Minister said.
India stands with the people of Iran at this time of tragedy, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said while expressing shock over the death of Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
“Deeply shocked to hear of the passing away of Iran’s President Dr Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian in the helicopter crash,” Jaishankar said on X.
“Recall my many meetings with them, most recently in January 2024. Our condolences to their families. We stand with the people of Iran at the time of this tragedy,” he said.
Congress chief Kharge condoled the death of the Iranian President and said Indians stand with the people of Iran in this time of grief.
In a post on X, Kharge said, “The Indian National Congress is anguished and dismayed by the passing away of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the shocking tragedy.”
“India-Iran relations span centuries marked by meaningful interactions. Every Indian joins in extending our heartfelt condolences to his family. In this time of grief, we stand with the people of Iran,” the Congress president said.
Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Monday expressed shock over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, says PTI from Srinagar.
“Deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir in a helicopter crash. My heartfelt condolences go out to their families and the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
“My deepest condolences to the people of Iran who mourn the tragic passing away of their President Ebrahim Resi. Shocking & quite baffling,” Mehbooba said in a post on X.