VIDEO: Footage Shows Ebrahim Raisi Along With Other Officials Just Moments Before the Crash

New Delhi: Fresh visuals have emerged showing Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi along with his country's foreign inister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azarbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, East Azerbaijan Imam Mohamm Ali Ale-Hashem in chopper just few minutes ahe of crash.

A Bell 212 helicopter carrying Raisi crashed in mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as public was urged to pray. On Monday, Turkish drone Akinci identified a heat source in accident region.

As co-ordinates were shared with rescue teams operating in area under supervision of Iranian authorities. At teams reached spot, y found wreckage of helicopter. Reports said that cockpit of helicopter was severely damaged and no survivor was found.

president, along with his convoy, were reportedly travelling back from a diplomatic meeting in Azerbaijan, and were heing to city of Tabriz, in north west of Iran. Raisi was elected president in 2021 and, under current timetable, presidential elections are due to take place in 2025.

What Happens if President Dies?

Here is a brief outline of what Iran's constitution states could happen if a president is incapacitated or dies in office:

As per Islamic Republic's constitution, Article 131, states that if a president dies in office first vice president takes over, with confirmation of supreme leer, who has final say in all matters of state, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, a council consisting of first vice president, speaker of parliament and he of judiciary must arrange an election for a new president within a maximum period of 50 days.

Impact on Middle East

crash which claimed life of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his colleagues including cpuntry's foreign minister is likely to reverberate across Middle East as Iran has spent deces supporting armed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Palestinian territories that allow it to project power and potentially deter attacks from United States or Israel, sworn enemies of its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Furr, crash comes as Middle East remains unsettled by Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi under Supreme Leer Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel just last month.