Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been confirmed to have been killed in a helicopter crash along the mountainous border between Iran and Azerbaijan.
The President was traveling with the Foreign minister of Iran, and several other officials - along with two other helicopters when a thick fog emerged. The other two helicopters reached their destination - but the one containing the President went down.
Search and rescue crews trudged through the cold, dank, foggy mountains of Iran's border for hours before discovering the crash site.
The site bore no survivors. When the news that the President had been killed broke in state media, celebrations reportedly broke out across the country.
Raisi was a hardline religious leader and the second highest ranking official in Iran's government behind the supreme leader - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Some experts believe that Raisi was being groomed to take the mantle of Ayatollah when Khamenei died. Khamenei is 85 years old, and not in particularly good health.
Raisi was only 63 at the time of his death. If this was true, the President’s death could be a particular challenge for the aging Iranian dictator.
The domestic situation in Iran is already turbulent, protests and dissent have rocked the nation for years. The supreme leader and government rule through claims of Divine appointment.
Freak accidents like helicopter crashes killing high ranking officials poke significant holes in these claims of godly protection. After all - why would god allow the deaths of high ranking members of a government he put in place? The obvious answer is that god did not appoint the Iranian government.
