Iran's president, Ebrahim Raisi, has been killed in a helicopter crash in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran on May 20.

Crash site

On May 19, a helicopter carrying Raisi from a ceremonial dam opening on the Iran-Azerbaijan crashed in foggy weather.

The crash prompted a massive search and rescue operation, involving hundreds of personnel.

But on May 20 (Singapore time), the Islamic Republic News Agency (Iranian state media) reported that search and rescue teams using drones found the crash site.

IRNA quoted the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society as saying there were "no traces of survivors."

Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was accompanying Raisi on the flight, and is also said to have died in the crash. 

Reactions

Raisi was elected to the presidency in 2021, attaining 62 per cent of a disputed vote, which outside observers have claimed as unfairly tilted towards Iran's religious leadership.

Al Jazeera at the time described Raisi as a Muslim scholar, a conservative head of Iran's judiciary, and a 'hardliner'.

As a member of the judiciary, Raisi was reportedly a member of a committee linked to mass executions following the revolution in 1979, according to The Guardian.

Raisi is said to have been a mentee to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and was one of the men mooted to be in line to take over from him in the future.

The supreme leader holds key decision-making power in Iran, over the president.

Social media shows supporters gathered in the middle of Iran's capital Tehran in order to pray for his survival, when his fate was uncertain.

People of Iran are praying nationwide for the safety of President Raisi and his companions 💔🇮🇷#Iranpic.twitter.com/7qBjK9LkM3

— Aisha 🇵🇸 (@aisha_c10) May 19, 2024

But unverified videos also purportedly show fireworks being lit by Iranians, ostensibly in celebration.

Iranians in the Northern City of Gorgan are continuing to launch Fireworks in Celebration of President Ebrahim Raisi’s Helicopter Crash and likely Death. pic.twitter.com/RwfmfW2aYg

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 19, 2024

At time of writing, search and rescue teams have reached the crash site, and have reportedly found bodies of the victims of the crash, although Raisi's body has not yet been officially identified.

Legacy

Raisi was seen as a close regime figure, but also labelled as the "Butcher of Tehran" by opponents.

He earned the epitaph by allegedly signing off on the execution of thousands of opposition figures in the late 1980s.

In more recent times, his government has been challenged by popular anti-government protests since 2022, sparked by religious police allegedly beating a teenager to death for incorrectly wearing a religious garment.

Iran was also linked to two recent conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, with Israel fighting the Iran-backed Hamas forces in Gaza, while Houthi rebels backed by Iran target shipping passing through the Red Sea.

The conflict became direct after an alleged Israeli airstrike targeted a Iranian consular building in Syria in April 2024, killing a senior Iranian military leader.

Iran responded by launching a wave of drones and missiles against Israel.

Israel then retaliated with strikes on Iran in April 2024, but direct conflict between the two did not escalate further.

Iran now enters a phase of internal uncertainty amidst this backdrop, a fog of uncertainty as menacing as the one that took their president.

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Top image via @sentdefender/X