What the Death of Iran’s President Could Mean for Tehran and the Region

EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBER+EXPERT INTERVIEW – Iran’s state media said Monday that President Ebrahim Raisi had died in a helicopter crash that also took the lives of the country’s foreign minister and several other officials. The announcement came some 16 hours after initial reports that the helicopter had gone down Sunday, in heavy fog in a remote area of East Azerbaijan Province. 

The country’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced Monday that Mohammad Mokhber, the country’s first vice president, would serve as the country’s acting president until elections are held. In an emergency meeting, Iran’s Cabinet issued a statement pledging to follow Raisi’s path and said that “with the help of God and the people, there will be no problem with management of the country.”