By Jon Gambrell:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died.
He was 63.
Raisi’s death, along with the foreign minister and other officials in a helicopter crash on Sunday in northwestern Iran, came as Iran struggles with internal dissent and its relations with the wider world.
In the hours since the death of Raisi was confirmed by authorities, Iranian government supporters began pouring into the squares of Tehran for a mourning ceremony, carrying pictures of their late president.
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At similar events in the past, people have been bussed in from schools and government offices.
However, many Iranians on social media were celebrating Raisi’s death.
Iran has declared five days of public mourning after the president was killed in a helicopter crash in north-west Iran.
The crash happened close to Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, where Raisi had been meeting President Ilham Aliyev.
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Raisi’s funeral will take place today and, for the next seven days, cultural activities have been cancelled.
Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed as acting president, and Bagheri Kani, who was deputy foreign minister, is now foreign minister.
The United Nations Secretary General said he was saddened by the death of Raisi.
The spokesperson for the UN Secretary General (UNSG) released a statement saying that the UNSG Antonio Guterres is saddened by the death of Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian and their colleagues.
“The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary General.
Raisi is survived by a wife and two daughters.— AP/BBC
