Iranian President Raisi, Foreign Minister, Security Chief, Others Die In Tragic Air Mishap
President Ebrahim Raisolsadati, commonly known as Ebrahim Raisi, of Iran and some government officials have been confirmed dead in a helicopter crash on Sunday as the air mishap resulted in the death of all the passengers on board.
This was confirmed in the early hours of Monday.
The helicopter, which was en route from Tehran to Tabriz, went down on Sunday under circumstances that are currently under investigation.
On the official list of the victims are President Ebrahim Raisi; Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian; Governor of Eastern Azerbaijan, Province Malek Rahmati; Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem of Tabriz; the Pilot and Copilot; the crew chief and the Head of Security and Bodyguard. 
The death was confirmed by the Head of the Red Crescent Society.
He said, “The rescue forces reached the remains of the helicopter.
“Upon discovering the location of the crashed helicopter, no signs of the helicopter’s occupants being alive were observed.”
Ebrahim Raisi was born on 14 December 1960 to a clerical family in the Noghan district of Mashhad but his father, Seyed Haji, died when he was 5 years old.
President Raisi, known for his conservative stance and influential role in Iran’s judiciary before his presidency, was at the forefront of several key policy initiatives aimed at strengthening Iran’s economy and regional influence.
With the death of the President, the First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is next in line for succession in accordance with the constitutional protocol.
Mokhber, who has been active in various government projects and initiatives, is expected to assume the presidential duties.
Late President Ebrahim Raisi was an Iranian politician who served as eighth president of Iran from 2021 until his death in the helicopter crash.
The Principlist and a Muslim jurist became president after the 2021 election.
In his early career, according to Wikipedia, Raisi served in several positions in Iran’s judicial system, including as Deputy Prosecutor and Prosecutor of Tehran.
For his role on the so-called death committee during the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners, he became known as the “Butcher of Tehran”.
He was sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control in accordance with Executive Order 13876.
He was accused of crimes against humanity by international human rights organizations and United Nations special rapporteurs.
He was later Deputy Chief Justice (2004–2014), Attorney General (2014–2016), and Chief Justice (2019–2021).
He was Custodian and Chairman of Astan Quds Razavi, a bonyad, from 2016 until 2019. He was a member of Assembly of Experts from South Khorasan Province, being elected for the first time in the 2006 election.
He was the son-in-law of Mashhad Friday prayer leader and Grand Imam of Imam Reza shrine, Ahmad Alamolhoda.
Raisi ran for president in 2017 as the candidate of the conservative Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, losing to moderate incumbent president Hassan Rouhani, 57% to 38.3%. 
Raisi successfully ran for president a second time in 2021 with 62.9% of the votes, succeeding Hassan Rouhani.
According to many observers, the 2021 Iranian presidential election was rigged in favour of Raisi, who was considered an ally of Ali Khamenei.
Raisi was often seen as a frontrunner to succeed Khamenei as Supreme Leader. However, as a result of his death in the 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash, such ambition has been aborted.
Considered a hardliner in Iranian politics, Raisi’s presidency saw deadlock in negotiations with the U.S. over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and large-scale protests throughout the country in late 2022, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini on 16 September.
During Raisi’s term, Iran intensified uranium enrichment, hindered international inspections, and supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel during the Gaza conflict and continued arming proxy groups like Hezbollah and the Houthi movement.
After the attack Iran, Israel had vowed to “exact a price” from Iran in retaliation for the large-scale aerial assault on the Jewish state this weekend — while some analysts expect Israel to respond, the timing and extent of that retaliation remains in question.Iran had launched more than 300 drones and missiles against military targets inside Israel recently, in what President Joe Biden of the United States described as “unprecedented.”
