Iran president dead in helicopter crash
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were found dead at the site


What happened
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is dead, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and seven other people traveling aboard a helicopter that crashed Sunday, Iranian state TV said Monday morning. Rescuers reached the remote crash site hours after the helicopter made what authorities originally called a "hard landing" amid thick fog in mountainous terrain in northwestern Iran.
Who said what
"We assure our loyal and appreciative and beloved nation that the path of service will continue with the tireless spirit of Ayatollah Raisi," Raisi's Cabinet said after an emergency meeting.
Raisi, a 63-year-old conservative hardliner elected in 2021, was close with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and widely considered a potential successor to the 85-year-old supreme leader. But he and "his conservative government were not popular among the majority of Iranians because they had reinstated oppressive social rules" and "violently cracked down on dissent," especially mass protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, The New York Times said. Raisi also oversaw Iran's first direct attack on Israel and armed Russia for its war in Ukraine.
What next?
Raisi's death "is not expected to disrupt the direction of Iranian policy or jolt the Islamic Republic in any consequential way," but it will "test" the hardliners' total grip on power, the BBC said. Assuming Khamenei approves, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will assume the duties of the presidency, as stipulated in Iran's constitution. Elections are to be called within 50 days.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Trump wants to revive coal. Will it work?
Talking Points Wind, solar and natural gas are ascendant
-
Is the first AI ‘actor’ the beginning of Hollywood’s existential crisis?
Today's Big Question 'Tilly Norwood' sparks a backlash
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
How Benjamin Netanyahu shaped Israel in his own image
The Explainer He has seldom been personally popular, but ‘King Bibi’ is an exceptionally shrewd operator
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery case
Speed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return home
Speed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for coup attempt
Speed Read Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stay in power following his 2022 election loss
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk shot dead at 31
Speed Read Kirk was holding a debate session at Utah Valley University
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
'Is it OK to be happy when the world is falling apart?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day