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

Under the Iranian constitution, Iran´s vice first president takes over if the president dies with Ayatollah Khamenei´s ascent, and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days.

Iranian state media has already reported Mohammad Mokhber, 68 has assumed the role of interim president and has already had begun receiving calls from officials and foreign governments.

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

Here’s a brief rundown of his life and political career:

• Raisi was born in 1960 to a religious family in Iran’s holy Shi’ite Muslim city of Mashhad. When he was five, he lost his father but followed him in his footsteps to become a cleric.
• As a young student at a religious seminary in the holy city of Qom, Raisi took part in protests against the Western-backed Shah in the 1979 revolution. Later, his contacts with religious leaders in Qom made him a trusted figure in the judiciary.
• Raisi was elected president in a closely controlled vote in 2021, in which he adopted a tough stance in nuclear negotiations.
• His victory brought all branches of power in Iran under the control of hardliners loyal to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, thereby bolstering his chances of succeeding him.
• Raisi has overseen a crackdown on protests at home with his hardline position evident a year into his presidency when he ordered tighter enforcement of Iran’s ‘hijab and chastity law’ restricting women’s dress and behaviour.

If you’re just waking up, here’s everything you need to know this morning:

• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been confirmed dead after rescuers found a helicopter carrying him and other officials that crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday
• Raisi, 63, was among nine people to be declared dead alongside Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
• Rescuers fought through blizzards and difficult terrain through the night to reach the wreckage in the early hours of Monday after a search effort backed by Russia was hampered because of bad weather
• The Iranian government held an ‘urgent meeting’ on Monday, with Raisi’s chair left vacant and covered in a black sash – state broadcasters are airing Islamic prayers in between news broadcasts
• Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran’s first vice president, will assume role of interim president and has already taken calls from foreign leaders offering their condolences, state media reported

We will bring you further developments as and when we get them.

Mr Raisi was one of nine people killed when a helicopter crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday.

The 63-year-old was travelling to the city of Tabriz, in the north-west of Iran, after he attended an opening ceremony for a new dam along the country’s border with Azerbaijan.

We will be providing live updates today following confirmation that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (pictured) has been killed in a helicopter crash.

Mr Raisi was on board an aircraft alongside the Iranain foreign minster Hossein Amir-Abdollahian when it crashed into a mountain range on Sunday.

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