As we reported earlier Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials were involved in a helicopter crash in foggy weather in the country’s mountainous northwest.

See:

BREAKING: Iranian President and Foreign Minister Missing After Helicopter Crash

Now reports indicate that the leader is dead.

BREAKING

Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has been killed in a helicopter crash.

Raisi helped to oversee a mass execution of political prisoners in the late 1980s and as president, he escalated enforcement of the hijab law and increased repression… pic.twitter.com/dqkQks1ENS

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 20, 2024

The tweet continues:

Raisi helped to oversee a mass execution of political prisoners in the late 1980s and as president, he escalated enforcement of the hijab law and increased repression against the people of Iran. 

It took authorities more than 12 hours to even locate the site of the crash:

The helicopter was one of three traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province as the president returned from a visit to Azerbaijan. At least 40 rescue teams were heading to the area, but crews struggled because of the mountainous terrain and poor visibility, according to state media.

Drone footage appears to show the helicopter was completely annihilated:

BREAKING: Drone footage suggests Iran president's helicopter completely destroyed pic.twitter.com/5O5oLx2Pnh

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) May 20, 2024

Raisi was not a friend of modern civilization:

Raisi was elected president in 2021, widely seen as the choice of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after a career in Iran’s judiciary. While in office he has overseen a tightening of morality laws, violent crackdowns on anti-government protests and Iran’s first direct attack on Israel.

As noted, other officials may have perished as well:

Iran’s President Raisi’s Helikopter crashed today. Passengers on the helicopter include;

Irans’s president: Ibrahim Raisi
Iran’s foreign minister: Amir Hossein Abdollahyan
Imam of Tabriz Mosque: Ayatollah Al-Hashemi
Governor of East Azerbaijan Province: Malik Rahmati

Therr is… pic.twitter.com/u1oIRGEAzw

— Marziyeh Amirizadeh مرضیه امیری زاده (@MAmirizadeh) May 19, 2024

He was an influential figure, though Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds the true reins in the Islamic Republic: 

Next in the line of succession would be First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, if approved by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran's Supreme Leader serves as the final arbiter of domestic and foreign affairs in the Islamic Republic, dwarfing the powers of the country's president.

Unlike his predecessor, the moderate former President Hassan Rouhani, Raisi had fostered a close alliance with Khamenei. Many Iranians believed Raisi was being groomed to one day succeed the ailing 85-year-old Khamenei.

This story is sure to have global political ramifications, and RedState will keep you updated as developments unfold.