Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is confirmed dead in helicopter crash

There are tensions in Iran right now between the priestly clerics and the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is responsible for enforcing the principles of the 1979 revolution.

Raisi’s death could possibly provide the security services with an opportunity to line up a successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in an helicopter crash Sunday, was seemingly in prime position to succeed Khamenei. Now it’s less clear, so there could be an opportunity for the security establishment to put their man in charge.

The situation is similar to that in post-Soviet Russia when Boris Yeltsin was president and a relatively unknown apparatchik named Vladimir Putin rose to power.

WASHINGTON — The State Department issued a statement offering condolences to the Iranian government over yesterday's helicopter crash, though a spokesperson said the U.S. approach to Iran is not swayed by the deaths of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian.

"As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms," the statement said.  

A spokesperson for the department also said that President Biden's approach to handling the Iranian regime remains unchanged.

"We will continue to confront the Iranian regime’s support for terrorism, proliferation of dangerous weapons, and advancement of its nuclear program in ways that have no credible civilian purpose," the spokesperson said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences today over the deaths of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian in a call with Iran's vice president, who is now acting president.

According to a readout from Erdogan's office, the president expressed his sadness over the accident to Iran's Mohammad Mokhber. He also said that both men's contributions to relations between Iran and Turkey "will always be remembered."

"Türkiye stands with the Iranian people during these painful days and shares the grief of the Iranian people," Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey "will continue to carry out what its neighborhood and brotherhood with Iran require."

Turkey sent drones to assist in the search for Raisi — and on the way back to its base, one of the drones used its flight map to draw a crescent and a star, the symbols on the Turkish flag.

AA, the Turkish state-run news agency, reported that hundreds of thousands of people watched the drone's route on FlightRadar24, a flight tracking service.

LONDON — Hours after the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was announced, several dozen people gathered across the road from Iran’s embassy in London this afternoon, waving anti-regime flags, playing loud music and shouting slogans against the Islamic Republic’s rulers into loudspeakers.

It follows a small gathering in the same spot last night, when people were seen celebrating the news of a helicopter crash involving Raisi. Videos on social media verified by NBC News show people drinking and dancing across from the embassy’s building Sunday evening.

Moalemi said she escaped from Iran in 1988 during the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners that Raisi is accused of overseeing, and has lost friends and family to the regime.

Iran is a theocracy, and although it holds elections, candidates are vetted and many are barred from running. Even former two-term President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was disqualified from the last election in 2021.  

The real power lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ayatollah means “shadow of God on earth,” so everyone from the president down follows his lead. 

As a result, it is unlikely that Iranian policy will change. 

Three principles have essentially guided the country since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Internally, maintaining the principles of that revolution remains at the forefront of political thinking. 

Video footage from Iran’s official news agency showed Red Crescent workers carrying a covered body on a stretcher through a forested area.

NBC News cannot independently verify the footage, which was published following a helicopter crash in which President Ebrahim Raisi and eight others were killed.

A senior administration official agrees with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s comments yesterday that there doesn’t appear to be any evidence of foul play in the helicopter crash that killed Iran President Ebrahim Raisi and a handful of other officials.

“No foreign involvement at all,” this official said.

However, the Biden administration is monitoring the situation closely and watching reports of any Iranian officials trying to blame the U.S. or Israel for the Iranian president’s death.

President Ebrahim Raisi’s death is “a monumental and irreparable strategic blow” to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, and could create a crisis for the theocratic regime, according to a leading opposition group.

“It will trigger a series of repercussions and crises within theocratic tyranny, which will spur rebellious youths into action,” Maryam Rajavi, an Iranian dissident politician and president-elect of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, said in a statement.

“The curse of mothers and those seeking justice for the executed, along with the damnation of the Iranian people and history, mark the legacy of Ebrahim Raisi, the notorious perpetrator of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners,” she added.

He had been one of the favorites to take over from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, so the death of President Ebrahim Raisi could create a succession crisis in the Islamic Republic. 

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza, Iran has had two rulers, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who served as supreme leader until his death in 1989, and his successor Khamenei.

They held the real power, and while Raisi was president, he carried out the orders of the supreme leader, rather than setting them. So when Iran fired drones and ballistic missiles at Israel last month, Raisi would have been involved in carrying out the attack, but it would have been authorized by Khamenei.

Khamenei is 85, however, and thoughts have been turning to who might succeed Khamenei. Raisi had been among the leading candidates to replace him. 

Members of search-and-rescue teams scoured the mountainside where the helicopter carrying President Raisi and other top officials crashed.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, joined the chorus of Middle Eastern leaders offering their condolences for President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash.

The island nation's monarch sent a cable to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Bahrain's state news agency reported Monday. It added that he sent his condolences to Ayatollah, the people of Iran and the families of the deceased.

Bahrain led a brutal crackdown on its Shiite majority during the Arab Spring of 2011, a moved that that was condemned by Tehran.

Iran, a predominantly Shiite power, had long championed the rights of the community in Bahrain and in 2016 it warned that it would “pay the price” for the crackdown.

Condolences are coming in from some of the countries that border Iran, including Azerbaijan, whose President Ilham Aliyev saw Raisi yesterday at the inauguration of a dam on the Iran-Azerbaijan border before the crash that killed him, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and seven others.

Aliyev said his country was “deeply shocked” by the news, describing Raisi as “a prominent statesman who served his country with dedication and loyalty all his life.”

Pakistan, which Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian visited last month after an unprecedented exchange of military strikes between the two countries, said it would observe a day of mourning. In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two men were “good friends of Pakistan” and that he had been “hoping for good news.”

Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani of Iraq, a historic rival where Iran has been gaining influence, expressed “deep sadness and great sorrow” at the deaths of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian. And in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said “we will stand by our neighbor Iran in these difficult and sad times.”

A Turkish TV news crew reported from what it said was the site of a helicopter crash in which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and eight others were killed.

It showed mangled metal and engine parts among trees and branches.

China and Russia, both of which have been forging closer ties with Iran, expressed their condolences over Raisi’s death.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described Raisi as an “outstanding politician” who “rightfully enjoyed high respect from his compatriots and significant authority abroad.”

“As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good neighborly relations between our countries,” he said.

Similarly, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said President Xi Jinping had sent a message of condolence to Iran's interim president, Mohammad Mokhber, and that Raisi’s death was “a great loss for the Iranian people and a loss of a good friend for the Chinese people.”

LONDON — The Iranian flag was flying at half-staff at the Islamic Republic’s embassy in central London on Monday, hours after President Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash was confirmed.

Things were quiet around the embassy, with virtually no police presence as tourists milled about across the road in London’s iconic Hyde Park on a warm, sunny morning.

Leaders from around the Arab world including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen have offered their condolences to Iran.

Syrian Prime Minister Bashar al-Assad said Raisi's death in a helicopter crash made him “a martyr in the redemption of duty.”

Lebanon, home to Iran-backed militant group, Hezbollah, declared an official mourning period of three days.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, has been named interim president until new elections are held within 50 days.

Like Raisi, Mokhber is believed to be close to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who serves as the head of state. He became vice president in 2021 alongside Raisi, who was elected his boss.

Mokhber was once under sanctions by the European Union for alleged involvement in "nuclear or ballistic missile activities." He also headed Setad, an investment fund linked to Khamenei that was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, political and military groups backed by Iran, issued statements praising Raisi and mourning his death.

Hezbollah said it mourned with "deep sadness the martyrdom of Raisi, Abdollahian and others in a tragic incident.” Hezbollah was founded by Shia clerics during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and was profoundly influenced by the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and its leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said it offers "deepest condolences" to the Iranian people and the family of those who died. The Zaidi Shia group that controls much of Yemen is also supported by Iran but believed to be more independent of Tehran than Hezbollah.

European Council President Charles Michel said the European Union “expresses its sincere condolences for the death of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian, as well as other members of their delegation and crew in a helicopter accident.”

“Our thoughts go to the families,” he said in a post on X.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will serve as Iran’s interim president after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, state media reported.

His appointment was approved by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and head of state, who also announced five days of public mourning. A presidential election must now be called within 50 days.

Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, was also killed in the crash. According to state media, Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has been named acting foreign minister.

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States was “one of the main culprits” in the crash that killed Raisi, citing U.S. sanctions affecting aviation in comments on state television.

Iran, which operates a range of helicopters, has long been under sanctions that make it difficult to maintain them or purchase spare parts. Most of the helicopters in operation date back to before the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Pakistan will observe a day of mourning today "as a mark of respect," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X.

"They were good friends of Pakistan," he said, referring to Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Pakistan extends its condolences to Iran, he said, adding that he had been "hoping for good news."

Nearly a year after mass protests erupted in Iran, the country’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, defended his government’s response to the demonstrations in an interview with NBC News, and warned that those who tried to sow instability in the Islamic Republic would pay a “big cost.”

In his first interview with a Western news organization since nationwide protests in 2022 that were set off by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, Raisi told NBC News’ Lester Holt that the unrest was allegedly fueled by U.S. and European powers and that security forces had treated protesters in a “peaceful” manner.

Asked about human rights reports that Iran was seeking to silence activists in advance of the first anniversary of Amini’s death, Raisi said that his government was ready to listen to genuine protesters but would not tolerate attempts to destabilize the country.

Read the full story here.

The Iranian cabinet held an "emergency meeting" on Monday following the announcement of Raisi's death, state news agency IRNA reported.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, who is next in line to succeed Raisi, led the meeting.

The chair where Raisi usually sits was vacant. It was draped with a black sash with a picture of him next to it, according to a photo shared by IRNA.

Raisi’s death could lead to the further rise of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. NBC News’ Richard Engel explains Iran’s power balance.

Hamas leaders, amid war with Israel, expressed condolences over the deaths of Raisi and others on board a helicopter that crashed in the northwest region of Iran on Sunday.

A Hamas statement said the militant group exists in solidarity with Iran's supreme leader and the Iranian people on the occasion of the president's death as well as that of the others on board, including Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The statement called the crash an "unfortunate accident and painful tragedy."

Reactions are starting to trickle in as world leaders learn of Raisi's death.

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, wrote in a post on X that he was "deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise" of Raisi.

"His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered," Modi said. "My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow."

Nine people were on board the helicopter that crashed, leaving no survivors, Tasnim News Agency, a government-affiliated outlet, reported.

It listed the decedents on board with Raisi. They included Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian; Ayatollah Al Hashem, representative of the supreme leader for parts of Azerbaijan; Eastern Azerbaijan Gov. Malek Rahmati; Cmdr. Seyed Mahdi Mousavi, the head of the president’s security unit; and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member Ansarol Mahdi.

The helicopter's pilot and co-pilot and a technical assistant also on board were not identified.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, known for enforcing brutal crackdowns on political opposition and seen as a potential successor to the supreme leader, has died in a helicopter crash landing in the country’s north, state media reported Monday. He was 63 years old.

Raisi, a conservative hard-line cleric, took office in August 2021 after several popular candidates were disqualified from the election, which saw historically low turnout. He wore a black turban, symbolic of those who are descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

His tenure saw a crackdown on mass protests after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed; the enforcement of a strict women’s dress code; increased enrichment of uranium after the U.S. withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal; and increased military tensions with Israel and the West as the regime supported Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Read the full story here.

According to Iranian law, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will assume power after receiving an approval from the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the head of state.

A presidential election must be called within 50 days, the law says.

Khamanei has said there will be no disruption to state affairs.

President Ebrahim Raisi died when the helicopter he was in crashed Sunday, and no survivors were located early Monday, Iranian state media has confirmed.

Raisi, 63, was returning with other government officials who presided at the inauguration of a dam on the Aras River on the border with Azerbaijan when the helicopter went down near the village of Uzi in in northwest Iran, according to reports.

Iran state media reported there is "no sign of life" after the helicopter carrying Iran's president was located.

The exact site of the helicopter crash has been found, according to Iranian media outlets.

The head of the Iranian Red Crescent said early Monday local time that searchers were walking toward the helicopter and were about 2 kilometers away, Fars News Media reported.

Student News Network reported that first responders were on their way to the downed helicopter.

Large groups gathered to pray for Raisi following the “crash landing” of his helicopter. Raisi’s condition remains unclear.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., says intelligence authorities have informed him that there is "no evidence of foul play" in the helicopter crash.

"It was very bad, foggy weather, northwest Iran where the copter crashed. So it looks like an accident, but it’s still being fully investigated," Schumer said. "There’s an ongoing effort to locate the helicopter. They still haven’t done that, and I’ll keep monitoring the situation as it unfolds.”

Schumer made the remark at an unrelated news conference in Manhattan today, just as Iranian state media reported that crews believe they have found the site of the crash.

The location of the helicopter crash has been identified, Iranian state media reported.

The commander of the East Azerbaijan Army said that a signal from the helicopter and a cellphone belonging to one of the crew members at the accident site was received "minutes ago."

"Right now, we are leaving with all the military forces to the area in question and I hope to give good news to the people," the commander said.

Video from Iranian state media appears to show heavy fog around the area where crews are reportedly carrying out search-and-rescue efforts after the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi experienced a “hard landing.” Raisi’s condition is unknown.

Mohsen Mansouri, Iran's vice president, said that contact has been established between rescue workers at two people involved in the crash.

He did not specify who rescue workers had been in contact with when making the comments on state television today, but noted that communication was established on "several occasions."

Hours after the helicopter crash was reported, state news reports that the search-and-rescue operations are approaching the site where they believe the crash occurred.

Tasnim News and Ofogh television, both state news sources, said that Red Crescent workers were in the vicinity of the crash and expected to come across the site soon. Iran's interior minister previously said that the crews were struggling to reach the remote area of the crash due to heavy fog and bad weather.

A video clip published to Tasnim's social media purportedly showing the area displayed the low visibility and what sounded like heavy winds as people walked with flashlights. The grainy footage showed the silhouettes of people a few yards away as strong gusts could be heard in the background.

NBC News is not able to independently verify the footage.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released a statement following news of the crash, saying that he hoped God would return Raisi and the officials traveling with him "to the arms of the nation."

The statement was reported by Nour News, which is closely linked to Iran's immensely powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

"Everyone should pray for the health of this group of servants," the statement said. "If the people of Iran do not worry, there will be no disruption in the work of the country."

According to Iranian English-language state news agency Press TV, two helicopters from Raisi’s convoy carrying government ministers and officials had reached their destination safely.

Press TV did not add any details about who exactly had landed safely.

The official Instagram page for Ebrahim Raisi, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, posted a request for prayers today after news that his helicopter made a crash landing.

Raisi's photo was posted to the account's "stories" with the words "Khatm Salavat" written across it the large font. The term "Salavat" is referring to an Islamic prayer praising the prophet and the prophet's family.

The post requested Iranians pray for Raisi's health as well as the delegation he was traveling with, which included the president's security detail, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and East Azerbaijan's governor, Malik Rahmati.

Their conditions are currently unknown.

Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state television that heavy fog and bad weather delayed the search and rescue teams from being able to reach the site of the crash.

“There have been contacts with [the president’s] companions, but given that the area is mountainous and it is difficult to establish contacts. We hope that the rescue teams will reach the site of the incident sooner and give us more information,” he told IRINN, a state television channel.

He also added that though the area is remote, the rescue work is "under control."

BAKU, Azerbaijan — Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said he was profoundly troubled by news of the Iranian president's helicopter crash landing after bidding a friendly farewell to Ebrahim Raisi earlier in the day.

"Today, after bidding a friendly farewell to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran," Aliyev said.

"Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation. As a neighbor, friend, and brotherly country, the Republic of Azerbaijan stands ready to offer any assistance needed."