The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amirabdollahian, have been confirmed killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather.
This development was confirmed to Reuters by an Iranian official on Monday after search teams located the wreckage.
The wreckage was located near the East Azerbaijan province.
“President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,” the senior Iranian official told Reuters, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Iran’s Mehr news agency also confirmed the deaths.
Iran’s President and minister confirmed killed in a helicopter crash
It reported: “All passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred.”
The helicopter, a US-made Bell 212, was said to have been completely burned in the crash on Sunday.
It reportedly slammed into a mountain peak.