The government has announced a state mourning on May 21 to honour Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, officials said. As per officials, the national flag will be flown at half-mast across India on May 21 as a mark of respect.
Iranians gathered at Tehran's central squares on Monday to pay their respects to President Ebrahim Raisi, who passed away the following day after his helicopter crashed into a mountain covered in fog. A era of political unrest in Iran and throughout West Asia has begun with his demise.
The helicopter went down on Sunday in a remote area of northwest Iran, killing Raisi, 63, his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and seven other people. It was not until Monday morning that the helicopter wreckage was discovered. Iran had military exchanges with its longtime foe Israel during Raisi's tenure, which started in 2021, and the West Asian country was immersed in an economic crisis exacerbated by US sanctions.
In addition to announcing a five-day mourning period, Khameni stated that vice president Muhammad Mokhber, 68, will serve as acting president until elections are held in fifty days.
According to the Iranian official media, new elections are scheduled on June 28. Ali Bagheri, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, was named interim foreign minister by the Iranian government. The 85-year-old Khamenei, who Raisi was widely predicted by observers to succeed at some point, declared, "The Iranian nation has lost a sincere and valuable servant."
Iran's military chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, has ordered an investigation into the reason of the helicopter accident that killed the president and his entourage. Thousands of mourners gathered in central Tehran's Valiasr Square to pay their respects to Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Raisi's remains will be transported first to Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, and then to Mashhad, his birthplace. A funeral march will be held in Tehran.
Mohammad Bagheri, Iran's military chief of staff, has ordered "a high-ranking committee to launch an investigation into the cause of the president's helicopter crash".
Global allies Russia and China and regional powers voiced their condolences, as did NATO, while the UN Security Council observed a minute of silence. India also extended its condolences and announced a one-day state mourning as a mark of respect.