Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, The ‘Butcher Of Tehran,’ Killed In Helicopter Crash

OAN’s James Myers
8:48am – Monday, May 20, 2024

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died Sunday in a helicopter crash in a remote region, according to multiple officials and state media.

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The “Butcher of Tehran”, the foreign minister and other passengers were found dead after rescuers discovered the crash site on Monday.

According to the state news agency Email“All passengers on the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred.”

Raisi was the second most powerful person in the Islamic Republic after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Meanwhile, Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokber is currently acting president, and top negotiator Ali Bagheri Qani has been appointed acting foreign minister.

A senior Iranian official earlier confirmed that Raisi had died in the crash, after state media reported that there were “no signs of life” at the crash site.

“President Raisi, the foreign minister and all passengers on the helicopter were killed in the crash,” a senior Iranian official said. Reuters.

Iran’s president’s helicopter was found in a mountainous area early Monday morning, about 12 hours after it crashed in dangerous weather.

Raisi was returning home through heavy clouds and fog with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other local officials after visiting Azerbaijan with President Ilham Aliyev to inaugurate a new dam.

State media initially reported that the plane had experienced a “hard landing” and that initial rescue efforts were stalled due to heavy winds, fog and the terrain of the area.

Additionally, state media reported that Raisi was piloting a US-made Bell 212 helicopter at the time of the crash.

Iranian state news agency Inra Raisi said he was traveling with a squad of helicopters when the helicopter crashed near the city of Jolfa, about 575 miles northwest of Tehran.

Reuters The helicopter was reported to have been completely destroyed after the crash.

Messages of condolence also came from Iran’s allies, including the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan.

Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Raisi a “true friend of Russia” and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply shocked and saddened.”

According to Iranian law, Mr. Mokbeir will be held as president for 50 days, after which elections must be held to choose Mr. Raisi’s successor.

Iranian state television canceled its regular programming after news of the crash broke and instead broadcast a large rally of support across the country praising Raisi’s accomplishments.

Days after Iran failed to send multiple missiles and drones to Israel, Raisi threatened the Jewish state, saying that if Israel retaliated there would be a “massive and harsh” response, and that if Iran If he wanted to carry out a large-scale attack, he warned: “There will be nothing left of the Zionist regime.”

In 2021, Raisi won the presidential election with the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history.

He was sanctioned by the United States for his role in the 1988 mass executions of thousands of political prisoners known as “death committees” at the end of the deadly Iran-Iraq war.

Israeli officials denied their country was involved in the crash.