Iran's President Raisi, Foreign Minister Dead in Helicopter Crash
BREAKING: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian declared dead, as teams find wreckage of crashed helicopter.
Iranian officials were not aware of Hamas plans for the attack but have since repeatedly condemned the group for its actions.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protege of the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian are dead after the helicopter they were traveling in crashed on May 20, 2024. Iranian officials said they were not aware of Hamas plans for the attack but have since repeatedly condemned the group for its actions.
The helicopter was carrying Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian back to Tehran from a visit to the southern city of Kerman when it crashed in the Zagros Mountains.
Rescue teams have found the wreckage of the helicopter and are working to recover the bodies of the victims.
President Xi Jinping of China called the tragic death of Raisi a great loss to the Iranian people and the Chinese government. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Iranian government.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has threatened to quit the Israeli government if a new war plan is not in place by June 8.
Raisi was a hard-line cleric who had been elected president in 2021. He was a close ally of Khamenei and was seen as a potential successor to the supreme leader.
Amir-Abdollahian was a career diplomat who had been appointed foreign minister in 2021. He was a close ally of Raisi and was seen as a rising star in the Iranian government.
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