BREAKING: Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, dies in helicopter crash aged 63

President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran has passed away following a helicopter crash in a rugged, forested region of the country amid adverse weather conditions.

The 63-year-old, known for his alignment with conservative and hardline political groups, had served as president for almost three years and seemed poised to seek re-election in the upcoming year.

Raisi, a former chief justice, was considered a likely successor to Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Born in Mashhad in northeastern Iran, a significant religious center for Shia Muslims, Raisi pursued religious studies at the seminary in Qom under notable scholars including Khamenei.

He also wore a black turban, indicating his status as a sayyid—a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad—a title highly regarded among Twelver Shia Muslims. Raisi gained extensive experience as a prosecutor across various regions before moving to Tehran in 1985.

Human rights organizations claim that he was involved with a committee of judges responsible for executing political prisoners during his time in the capital. Additionally, he was a longstanding member of the Assembly of Experts, which is responsible for selecting a new supreme leader upon the current leader’s death.

In 2014, Raisi served as attorney general for two years before being appointed by Khamenei to head Astan Quds Razavi. This enormous charitable trust manages billions of dollars and oversees the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia imam.

In 2017, Raisi made his first bid for the presidency but failed to unseat then-President Hassan Rouhani, who was aligned with centrist and moderate factions. Following a brief break from the political spotlight, Raisi re-emerged in 2019 as the newly appointed head of Iran’s judiciary, a position he received from Khamenei.

He positioned himself as a champion of justice and an anti-corruption crusader, undertaking numerous trips across provinces to build public backing.

In 2021, Raisi ascended to the presidency during a period marked by low voter participation and extensive exclusion of reformist and moderate contenders. His position for a subsequent term seemed solidified.

As with other high-ranking Iranian leaders, his most severe criticisms targeted Israel and the United States, along with their Western partners.

Since the Gaza conflict erupted in October, Raisi has delivered numerous addresses denouncing what he described as genocidal actions and massacres by Israel against Palestinians, urging global intervention.

He vowed retaliation against Israel after it destroyed Tehran’s consulate in Syria and killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals. He endorsed Iran’s counterattack, which involved launching hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel.

Although most were intercepted by a coalition of Israeli allies, Iran declared the operation a success. Raisi was a strong critic of the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has been in limbo since former US President Donald Trump withdrew from it unilaterally in 2018.

He supported Khamenei’s strategic policy of resistance and endurance amid the toughest sanctions Iran has ever faced, imposed after the collapse of the nuclear deal.

A close associate of the IRGC, the late president was also a fervent supporter of Iran’s network of political and armed groups throughout the region, including those in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

He was a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iran has backed Assad’s regime in the conflict against the Syrian opposition, resulting in hundreds of thousands of fatalities.