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"A great loss for the Iranian nation," says spokesperson for Iran's Guardian Council
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh
The spokesperson for Iran's Guardian Council – a powerful 12-member council in charge of overseeing elections and legislation – has called the death of President Ebrahim Raisi "a great loss for the Iranian nation."
Spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif said that while Iran is facing a tragedy with the death of its president, Iran's constitution has foreseen the necessary measures for this situation.
"Just as the leader of the Islamic Republic stated, the affairs of the country will not be disrupted," Nazif told Iranian state news agency Press TV.
Iranianconstitution mandates that the three heads of the branches of government, including the vice president, speaker of the parliament, and head of the judiciary, must arrange for an election and elect a new leader within 50 days of assuming the role of actingPresident.
It will “not be very difficult” to fill the gap after Raisi’s death, analyst says
From CNN staff
It will “not be very difficult” to fill the gap after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death, a Tehran-based analyst told CNN.
“President Raisi was not avery successful president interms of the economy,” Meir Javedanfar, director of Middle East Economic and Political Analysis Company, told CNN.
“In Iran,the president's hands areusually tied becausealthough they have a lot ofresponsibility, the authorityto carry out things reallyremains in the hands of thesupreme leader.”
He added that Raisi “was not somebody witha background in security,” nor someone “with abackground in Iran'sbureaucracy.”
“He was a chief forthe judiciary. He cut his teethin the judiciary system of theIslamic Republic. And he wasnot a man of vision. He was not a charismaticpolitician who came to changethings,” Javedanfar said.
“Theeconomy which he was supposed tomanage actually got worse under President Raisi.”
CNN geolocates Iran helicopter crash site
From CNN’s Yong Xiong and Teele Rebane
CNN has confirmed the geolocation of the crash site of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in the mountainous region of Varzeghan, near the village of Uzi, in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province.
Drone footage and images of the wreckage taken by the Iranian Red Crescent and shown on state media FARS News Agency showed the crash site on a steep, tree-covered hillside.
The accident occurred as Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian were returning from a ceremony to open a dam on Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, state news agency IRNA reported.Seven others in the chopper also died in the crash.
The crash site is around 38 miles (61 kilometers) from the dam site on the Iran-Azerbaijan border that the officials were visiting, with the exact location at 38.7189°,46.6548°
It was first geolocated by Nathan Ruser, an analyst on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Cyber, Tech & Security team (ASPI CTS), which CNN later confirmed.
The helicopter crashed while traveling to the city of Tabriz, Iran, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Lebanon announces three days of mourning over death of Iranian president
From CNN's Charbel Mallo
Lebanon has announced three days of mourning over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said.
Lebanon-based Hezbollah — one of the strongest paramilitary forces in the Middle East — is arguably Iran’s most powerful non-state partner.
This post has been updated to correct Najib Mikati's title.
Hamas, Houthis and Hezbollah mourn the death of Iran's president
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
Iran-backed militant groups Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah have sent condolences to Tehran over the death of the country's President Ebrahim Raisi.
Raisi died in a helicopter crash together with his Foreign MinisterHossein Amir-Abdollahianon Sunday in the East Azerbaijan Province, northwest of Iran.
Hours after their deaths were confirmed, Houthi senior official Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi sent condolences.
"Our deepest condolences to the Iranian people and the Iranian leadership," he said. “The Iranian people will continue to have leaders loyal to their people.
The president of the government led by Yemen’s Houthis, Mahdi Al-Mashat, “sent a message of condolences and condolences” to Iran after Raisi’s death.
Hamas said it is extending “its sincere condolences, deep sympathy, and solidarity" to the supreme leader, "to the Iranian government, and to the brotherly Iranian people.”
“We are confident that the Islamic Republic of Iran will be able — with the help of Allah — to overcome the consequences of this great loss, as the dear Iranian people have strong institutions capable of dealing with this severe ordeal,” Hamas said.
Lebanon-based Hezbollah likened Raisi to a "big brother."
“Hezbollah in Lebanon extends its deepest condolences and feelings of sympathy for (Iran’s Supreme leader, Iranian officials and the Iranian people’s) loss,” a statement by the group said.
“We have known His Eminence the martyr president closely for a long time. He was to us a big brother, a strong supporter, and a staunch defender of our issues and the nation’s issues, most notably Jerusalem and Palestine, and a protector of the resistance movements.”
Hezbollah, one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East, has clashed with Israel in near-daily cross-border skirmishes since the war in Gaza began.
Iran has provided military and economic backing to Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah.
Global leaders react to death of Iran's president
From CNN's Kunal Sehgal, Abeer Salman, Sophie Jeong, Duarte Mendonca and Mostafa Salem
Leaders across the Middle East and beyond are expressing their condolences after Iranian PresidentEbrahim Raisiand eight others were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Those killed also include Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
- Former President of Iran Hassan Rouhani sent "a message of condolences for the martyrdom" of Raisi, the foreign minister and the other passengers and crew who died in the crash.
- India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X: "Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow."
- Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani expressed "sincere condolences and sympathy" to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his government in a post on X. "We express our solidarity with the brotherly Iranian people and our brotherly officials in the Islamic Republic in this painful tragedy."
- Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said "Pakistan will observe a day of mourning and the flag will fly at half mast as a mark of respect for President Raisi and his companions and in solidarity with Brotherly Iran."
- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he is "shocked by the terrible news of the sensitive physical loss of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Maduro said: "From Bolivarian lands, we express our deepest condolences to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and wish for divine consolation for such a sensitive loss."
- United Arab EmiratesPresident Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said "the UAE stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time," extending heartfelt sympathies to the families of those killed in the accident.
- Emir of Qatar Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani expressed "sincere condolences to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran" following the death of Raisi and Amir-Abdullahian.
- Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad sent condolences to Iran, saying Raisi "presented to enrich relations with everything that benefits the Syrian and Iranian peoples," state news agency SANA reported, citing Assad.
This post has been updated.
Iran president’s death could not have come at a "more unstable time" for region, CNN's Amanpour says
From CNN's Rhea Mogul
The death of President Ebrahim Raisi couldn’t have come at a “more unstable time” for both Iran and the region, according to CNN’s Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour.
International outlook
Raisi’s death comes as Israel’s war against Hamas continues into its eighth month, fueling a spiraling humanitarian catastrophe and sending regional tensions soaring.
“The perennial shadow war between Israel and Iran that had been going on broke into the open over the last several weeks,” Amanpour said.
“You can imagine for the United States, for the west, one of the most important issues is the Iran nuclear issue,” she added.
Raisi took the presidency as negotiations with the US over how to revive the 2015 nuclear deal stalled.
“We understand over the last week or so… that the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear agency, that they (US) were back in talks with Iran to make sure that everything was happening within the nuclear regulation,” Amanpour said.
“It’s known that the United States is trying to stabilize issues with Iran, given the volatility of the region right now.”
Domestic outlook
“Iran faces internal protests and discontent that have been crushed brutally in the aftermath of Mahsa Amini’s death,” Amanpour said, referring to the 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly.
“And that was under the direction of Raisi, the Supreme Leader and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Amanpour noted that Raisi was at one point considered a successor to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is 85.
“Raisi was then considered to have somewhat disqualified himself given the political and popular uprising against him inside Iran. As well as the economy being really bad for the people, he is not considered to have brought prosperity at all to the Iranian nation,” Amanpour said.
Raisi was no stranger to political crackdowns and was heavily involved in repression in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution that turned the country into an Islamic republic.
“He had been overseeing some of the trials of the revolution and at one point signing off on one that led to the execution of thousands of anti-regime officials,” Amanpour said.
Watch Christiane Amanpour's full analysis:
Iran expresses condolences over deaths and says crash will not disrupt country's affairs
From CNN's Alireza Hajihosseini
The Iranian government expressed its condolences for the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and seven others in a helicopter crash in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province on Sunday.
In a statement Monday, the president's cabinet praised Raisi as a "hard-working and tireless" president who served the people of Iran to help advance and progress the country.
"[He] stood by his promise and sacrificed his life for the nation," the statement said.
The cabinet also reaffirmed that there "will not be the slightest disturbance" in the administration of Iran in the wake of the deadly crash.
Raisi's death "comes at a really tricky time" as Iran looks to find new president, analyst says
From CNN's Rhea Mogul
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death “comes at a really tricky time” for the country, an analyst said, as the nation looks to find a new person to garner support as well as loyalty to the system.
“Raisi was of coursenot a charismatic or personallypowerful individual, but he wasimportant as a loyalapparatchiks with it in thesystem,” said Sanam Vakil,director, Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House in London.
“He was close to, theSupreme Leader, to the (Guard Corps). Hehad consensus within the system.
Vakil also noted that Iran recently completed parliamentary elections, for which the turn out was “very low.”
“The lowest everin the history of the IslamicRepublic's 45 years,” she said. “To gothrough another politicaltransition with less publicparticipation and to try andfind a new individual thatcould generate support from thepopulation as well as loyaltyto the system will be tricky.”
Vakil noted that “not too much” may change in terms of foreign policy, but the domestic landscape, which is “notoriously divisive,” will shift.
“Iran has shifted verymuch to the right and all ofIran’s elected institutionsare dominated by conservativesand hardline conservatives,” she said.
“So with Raisi's death,this is certainly anopportunity for perhaps morepragmatic or left-leaningconservatives to join the race and see if they can emerge after being marginalized.”
