Iran helicopter crash LIVE: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi killed alongside country’s foreign minister killed after aircraft plummets into mountain range – latest updates

World leaders have expressed their condolences to Iran following the death of the country’s president, Ebrahim Raisi.

Here are statements from the leaders of India, Pakistan and Venezuela.

Images have emerged of President Raisi on board the helicopter that crashed and killed him.

Raisi was seen staring out the window of the plane, which was traveling in East Azerbaijan province near Jolfa, about 600 kilometers northwest of Tehran, when it crashed.

Here is a map showing where the helicopter carrying President Raisi crashed, killing him and his officials.

The plane was taking Raisi from the border with Azerbaijan to Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province, when it ran into difficulties on Sunday and crashed into a mountainous area.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed on Sunday when a helicopter he was traveling in crashed in a mountainous area in northwestern Iran.

The plane encountered difficulties due to heavy fog while transporting Mr Raisi and his officials to the city of Tabriz.

Here are some photos of the helicopter crash and the search and rescue efforts.

According to Iran’s constitution, if the president dies with Ayatollah Khamenei’s ascension, Iran’s vice-first president will take over, and new presidential elections should be called within 50 days.

Iranian state media have already reported that Mohammad Mokhber 68 has taken on the role of interim president and is already receiving phone calls from officials and foreign governments.

Mokhber will lead an interim government alongside the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and the head of the judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i.

Qalibaf, who campaigned for the Iranian presidency in 2005, is expected to be among the candidates pushing to succeed Raisi.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was a tough cleric who rose from a tough prosecutor to an uncompromising president and was one day tipped to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the country’s supreme leader.

Here is a brief overview of his life and political career:

• Raisi was born in 1960 into a religious family in the holy Shia Muslim city of Mashhad in Iran. When he was five, he lost his father, but followed in his footsteps and became a clergyman.
• As a young student at a religious seminary in the holy city of Qom, Raisi took part in protests against the Western-backed Shah during the 1979 revolution. Later, his contacts with religious leaders in Qom made him a trusted figure in the judiciary.
• Raisi was elected president in 2021 in a closely monitored vote, in which he took a tough stance on nuclear negotiations.
• His victory brought all branches of power in Iran under the control of hardliners loyal to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, boosting his chances of succeeding him.
• Raisi has overseen the crackdown on protests at home. His hardline stance became clear when, a year into his presidency, he ordered stricter enforcement of Iran’s “hijab and chastity law,” which restricted women’s clothing and behavior.

If you just woke up, this is all you need to know this morning:

• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was declared dead after rescuers found a helicopter carrying him and other officials that crashed in Iran’s mountainous northwest on Sunday.
• Raisi, 63, was one of nine people declared dead along with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
• Rescuers battled through snowstorms and difficult terrain through the night to reach the wreckage in the early hours of Monday after a Russian-backed search was hampered by bad weather
• Iran’s government held an ‘urgent meeting’ on Monday, leaving Raisi’s chair empty and covered with a black sash – state broadcasters broadcast Islamic prayers between news broadcasts
• Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran’s first vice president, will take on the role of interim president and has already received calls from foreign leaders offering their condolences, state media reported

We will bring you further developments as we receive them.

Raisi was one of nine people killed on Sunday when a helicopter crashed in Iran’s mountainous northwest.

The 63-year-old was traveling to the city of Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, after attending an opening ceremony for a new dam along the country’s border with Azerbaijan.

We will provide live updates today following confirmation that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (pictured) has died in a helicopter crash.

Raisi was aboard a plane alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian when it crashed into a mountain range on Sunday.

We bring you the latest news, reaction and analysis on this breaking news story.