Michael D Higgins offers sympathies after Iranian president killed in helicopter crash

People gather in Tehran yesterday to mourn the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi. Photo: Reuters

Parisa Hafezi

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed when his helicopter crashed in poor weather in mountains near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said yesterday.

The charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Mr Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six other passengers and crew was found early yesterday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.