Iranian President, Raisi, confirmed dead in helicopter crash

Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, has been reportedly killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.

The charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.

A report by Reuters showed that State news agency IRNA said Raisi was flying in a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter.

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Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who held ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme, had earlier sought to reassure Iranians, saying there would be no disruption to state affairs.

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