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<p>Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister&nbsp;Hossein Amirabdollahian&nbsp;died in a helicopter crash in&nbsp;mountainous terrain and icy weather, Iranian media reported on Monday&nbsp;(May 20). Iran's Mehr news agency&nbsp;confirmed the deaths, reporting that "all passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister&nbsp;were martyred."</p>

<p>Later,&nbsp;Deputy President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri also confirmed the deaths.&nbsp;</p>

<p>State TV reported that images from the crash site showed that the helicopter&nbsp;slammed into a mountain peak. Raisi,&nbsp;Amirabdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and other Iranian officials were onboard the&nbsp;US-made Bell 212 helicopter.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-president-ebrahim-raisi-helicopter-crash-live-updates-no-survivors-found-at-sight-of-wreckage-723258"><strong>Click here to follow all updates on the helicopter crash that killed Ebrahim Raisi</strong></a></p>

<p>Raisi, 63, became Iran's president&nbsp;in 2021&nbsp;and&nbsp;his&nbsp;term so far was marked by tightening&nbsp;of&nbsp;morality laws,&nbsp;a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests, and an intensification in nuclear talks with world powers.</p>

<h2><strong>A timeline of what led to the tragic crash:</strong></h2>

<p><strong>&gt;&nbsp;</strong>Ebrahim Raisi<strong>&nbsp;</strong>was inaugurating a joint dam project&nbsp;with Azerbaijan on Sunday on the shared border before he and others boarded a helicopter that made a hard landing in heavy fog on the return journey.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&gt;</strong>&nbsp;Raisi's convoy included&nbsp;three helicopters. Two of these helicopters&nbsp;landed safely in the northwestern city of Tabriz.&nbsp;However, the&nbsp;helicopter&nbsp;that was carrying the 63-year-old crashed.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&gt;</strong>&nbsp;Iranian media reported that the helicopter crashed&nbsp;in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province amid poor weather conditions.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ebrahim-raisi-dies-in-helicopter-crash-all-about-vietnam-war-era-chopper-carrying-the-iran-president-723304">Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash: All about Vietnam war-era chopper carrying the Iran president</a></strong></p>

<p><strong>&gt;</strong>&nbsp;Speaking to the news agency Reuters, an Iranian official had said that the lives of Raisi and&nbsp;Amirabdollahian were at risk following the crash.</p>

<p><strong>&gt;</strong>&nbsp;Iranian media&nbsp;shared multiple images of what appeared to be the&nbsp;wreckage of the helicopter.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&gt;</strong>&nbsp;A total of&nbsp;73 rescue teams were dispatched for the search and rescue operations. However, the poor weather conditions were hampering their efforts.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Iran President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian killed in chopper crash</strong></p>

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<p><strong>&gt;&nbsp;</strong>Early Monday,&nbsp;Iran's Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said rescue teams had located the helicopter and were heading towards the site.&nbsp;Iranian media, meanwhile, said that&nbsp;there were no signs of life among the passengers.</p>

<p><strong>&gt;&nbsp;</strong>Later in the day, state media confirmed that Raisi,&nbsp;Amirabdollahian, and all other passengers onboard the aircraft died.&nbsp;This development&nbsp;was also confirmed&nbsp;by Iran's&nbsp;Deputy President for Executive Affairs&nbsp;Mohsen&nbsp;Mansouri.</p>

<p><strong>&gt;</strong>&nbsp;Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran's&nbsp;vice president,&nbsp;&nbsp;is expected to become interim president following the death of Raisi.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather, Iranian media reported on Monday (May 20).

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather, Iranian media reported on Monday (May 20). Iran's Mehr news agency confirmed the deaths, reporting that "all passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred." Later, Deputy President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri also confirmed the deaths. State TV reported that images from the crash site showed that the helicopter slammed into a mountain peak. Raisi, Amirabdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, and other Iranian officials were onboard the US-made Bell 212 helicopter. Click here to follow all updates on the helicopter crash that killed Ebrahim Raisi Raisi, 63, became Iran's president in 2021 and his term so far was marked by tightening of morality laws, a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests, and an intensification in nuclear talks with world powers. A timeline of what led to the tragic crash: > Ebrahim Raisi was inaugurating a joint dam project with Azerbaijan on Sunday on the shared border before he and others boarded a helicopter that made a hard landing in heavy fog on the return journey. > Raisi's convoy included three helicopters. Two of these helicopters landed safely in the northwestern city of Tabriz. However, the helicopter that was carrying the 63-year-old crashed. > Iranian media reported that the helicopter crashed in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province amid poor weather conditions. Also read | Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash: All about Vietnam war-era chopper carrying the Iran president > Speaking to the news agency Reuters, an Iranian official had said that the lives of Raisi and Amirabdollahian were at risk following the crash. > Iranian media shared multiple images of what appeared to be the wreckage of the helicopter. > A total of 73 rescue teams were dispatched for the search and rescue operations. However, the poor weather conditions were hampering their efforts. Also watch | Iran President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian killed in chopper crash × > Early Monday, Iran's Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said rescue teams had located the helicopter and were heading towards the site. Iranian media, meanwhile, said that there were no signs of life among the passengers. > Later in the day, state media confirmed that Raisi, Amirabdollahian, and all other passengers onboard the aircraft died. This development was also confirmed by Iran's Deputy President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri. > Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran's vice president, is expected to become interim president following the death of Raisi. (With inputs from agencies)

Ebrahim Raisi helicopter crash: A timeline of how the Iranian president died

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<p>Israel on Monday (May 20) denied any involvement in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Speaking to the news agency Reuters, an Israeli official, who chose to remain anonymous, said,&nbsp;"It&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;us."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Raisi,&nbsp;Iran's&nbsp;Foreign Minister&nbsp;Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other Iranian officials&nbsp;were killed&nbsp;in a helicopter crash&nbsp;in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border. Raisi,&nbsp;a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was 63 years old at&nbsp;the time of&nbsp;his death.</p>

<h2><strong>No official response from Israel yet</strong></h2>

<p>The Israeli government has officially not commented on&nbsp;Raisi's&nbsp;death yet. This comment by the Israeli official to Reuters comes as both countries are in a proxy war.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-president-ebrahim-raisi-helicopter-crash-live-updates-no-survivors-found-at-sight-of-wreckage-723258">Click here to follow all updates on the death of Ebrahim Raisi</a></strong></p>

<p>In April, Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that killed&nbsp;Iranian generals and five officers. The two countries have waged a&nbsp;shadow war of covert operations and cyberattacks for years, but the exchange of fire in April was their first direct military confrontation, the news agency Associated Press reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For a long time, Israel has viewed Iran as its greatest threat because of&nbsp;Tehran's&nbsp;controversial nuclear program,&nbsp;its ballistic missiles and its support for armed groups&nbsp;including&nbsp;the Palestinian militant group Hamas.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Conspiracy circulates online over&nbsp;Raisi's&nbsp;death</strong></h2>

<p>Following the announcement of the deaths of Raisi,&nbsp;Amirabdollahian, and other passengers and crew onboard the helicopter, a conspiracy theory started circulating online that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was behind the crash.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ebrahim-raisi-no-more-pm-modi-russias-putin-other-world-leaders-remember-late-iranian-president-723437">Ebrahim Raisi no more: PM Modi, Russia's Putin, other world leaders remember late Iranian president</a></strong></p>

<p>In a post on X, media personality Ari Hoffman clarified that this was fake news.</p>

<p>"Hamas Telegram has picked up a joke that&nbsp;Raisi's&nbsp;pilot was a Mossad agent called Eli Copter and is pushing it as fact. These are the same geniuses that the mainstream media has been getting casualty numbers from for&nbsp;7&nbsp;months and publishing them without verification,"&nbsp;Hoffman said.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My French is pretty terrible but it sounds like this French anchor picked up the false report from Hamas that a Mossad agent named “Eli Copter” was likely involved in the helicopter crash which killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi<br />
<br />
The media is so eager to blame Israel for… <a href="https://t.co/HHSIg9SFlJ">https://t.co/HHSIg9SFlJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/bC9zunJt33">pic.twitter.com/bC9zunJt33</a></p>
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehoffather/status/1792432166812676600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p>"My French is pretty terrible&nbsp;but&nbsp;it sounds like this French anchor picked up the false report from Hamas that a Mossad agent named&nbsp;“Eli Copter”&nbsp;was likely involved in the helicopter crash which killed&nbsp;Iran’s&nbsp;President Ebrahim Raisi&nbsp;The&nbsp;media is so eager to blame Israel for everything they continue to push fake news,"&nbsp;he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Decoding Raisi's two-blade medium helicopter's capabilities</strong></p>

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<p>Hillel Fuld,&nbsp;a columnist, also confirmed on X that this is rumour.</p>

<p>"You LITERALLY cannot make this stuff up. Tons of people made the joke that the helicopter pilot was a Mossad agent called Eli Copter. Tons of Israel-haters&nbsp;including&nbsp;actual TV&nbsp;stations&nbsp;are reporting it like&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a fact,"&nbsp;Fuld said.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Israel on Monday (May 20) denied any involvement in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Speaking to the news agency Reuters, an Israeli official, who chose to remain anonymous, said, "It wasn't us.

Israel on Monday (May 20) denied any involvement in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Speaking to the news agency Reuters, an Israeli official, who chose to remain anonymous, said, "It wasn't us." Raisi, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other Iranian officials were killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border. Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was 63 years old at the time of his death. No official response from Israel yet The Israeli government has officially not commented on Raisi's death yet. This comment by the Israeli official to Reuters comes as both countries are in a proxy war. Click here to follow all updates on the death of Ebrahim Raisi In April, Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that killed Iranian generals and five officers. The two countries have waged a shadow war of covert operations and cyberattacks for years, but the exchange of fire in April was their first direct military confrontation, the news agency Associated Press reported. For a long time, Israel has viewed Iran as its greatest threat because of Tehran's controversial nuclear program, its ballistic missiles and its support for armed groups including the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Conspiracy circulates online over Raisi's death Following the announcement of the deaths of Raisi, Amirabdollahian, and other passengers and crew onboard the helicopter, a conspiracy theory started circulating online that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was behind the crash. Also read | Ebrahim Raisi no more: PM Modi, Russia's Putin, other world leaders remember late Iranian president In a post on X, media personality Ari Hoffman clarified that this was fake news. "Hamas Telegram has picked up a joke that Raisi's pilot was a Mossad agent called Eli Copter and is pushing it as fact. These are the same geniuses that the mainstream media has been getting casualty numbers from for 7 months and publishing them without verification," Hoffman said. My French is pretty terrible but it sounds like this French anchor picked up the false report from Hamas that a Mossad agent named “Eli Copter” was likely involved in the helicopter crash which killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi The media is so eager to blame Israel for… https://t.co/HHSIg9SFlJ pic.twitter.com/bC9zunJt33 — Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) May 20, 2024 × "My French is pretty terrible but it sounds like this French anchor picked up the false report from Hamas that a Mossad agent named “Eli Copter” was likely involved in the helicopter crash which killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi The media is so eager to blame Israel for everything they continue to push fake news," he added. Also watch | Decoding Raisi's two-blade medium helicopter's capabilities × Hillel Fuld, a columnist, also confirmed on X that this is rumour. "You LITERALLY cannot make this stuff up. Tons of people made the joke that the helicopter pilot was a Mossad agent called Eli Copter. Tons of Israel-haters including actual TV stations are reporting it like it’s a fact," Fuld said. (With inputs from agencies)

Ebrahim Raisi death: It wasn't us, says Israel on Iran president's chopper crash

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Ebrahim Raisi helicopter crash: A timeline of how the Iranian president died

Ebrahim Raisi death: It wasn't us, says Israel on Iran president's chopper crash