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 Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem in the chopper just few minutes ahead of the crash.

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

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

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

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

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

Impact on Middle East

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

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