The president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter crash after the aircraft battled heavy fog on Sunday evening.  His helicopter crashed in the Dizmar Forest in Khoda Afarin County, Iran, near the southern border of Azerbaijan.  President Raisi was 63 years old and on his way to becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader (the Supreme Leader is the Head of State and highest-ranking political and religious figure whereas the president is the Head of Government and the highest elected official).

The main cause of the crash has not been released by the Iranian government, but conclusions have been made.  Dense fog covered surrounded the mountain range that .  Dense fog leads to limited view and flying over a mountain range leads to turbulence, resulting in a very dangerous flight.  The aircraft was a twin-engine Bell-212, a type of helicopter popular during the end of the Vietnam War (1971).  A fifty-year-old helicopter flying in conditions it shouldn’t be is a disaster waiting to happen.   In the helicopter with President Raisi were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahain, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and East Azerbaijani Imam of Friday Prayer Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem.  They all perished along with Raisi’s entourage and the pilot and crew of the helicopter, leaving no survivors.  All were declared dead at the scene on Monday morning.  Raisi, who was elected as Iran’s president in August of 2021, is survived by his wife Jamileh Alamolhoda and their two daughters.

On Monday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared a 5-day morning period, ending on Saturday, May 25.  The Supreme Leader led a funeral procession for all the victims of the crash on Wednesday, May 22 throughout Iran’s capital of Tehran.

Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was appointed as acting president immediately.  As Iran mourns the loss of their president, Mokhber will serve as acting president for 50 days until elections for a new president begin in early July.