Tehran: Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Monday declared First Vice President Mohammad Mukhbar as the country’s acting president after the death of Ibrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
Khamenei declared five days of national mourning in honor of the late President Raisi. Radical Raisi became the President of Iran in 2021.
Khamenei condoled his tragic death, saying the Iranian people had lost a “precious and noble” man.
As per protocol, Mukhbar was already expected to become interim president after Raisi’s death. Now, elections will have to be held within 50 days to elect a new president.
President Raisi’s helicopter went missing on Sunday amid dense fog in a mountainous area of East Azerbaijan, Iran’s northwestern province. Its debris was recovered on Monday, and the president’s death was confirmed.
Apart from Raisi, a total of nine people were on board the helicopter, including Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdullahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rahmati, head of Friday prayers Tabrez Mohammad Ali Ale-Haseham, and crew members. The government media reported on Monday that no one survived the accident.
