People across Iran are celebrating after learning about their brutal leader’s death.
The president of Iran is dead after his helicopter crashed in the mountains of Northwest Iran on Sunday, according to multiple news outlets citing Iranian State TV.
Reports of Raisi’s death began circulating earlier Sunday, but his death was not officially confirmed by Iranian officials until his helicopter’s wreckage was found.
The helicopter crash also took the life of Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, a senior cleric from Tabriz, a Revolutionary Guard official and three crew members, as was reported by Iranian State TV.
Conservative MPP Goldie Ghamari, based out of Ottawa, celebrated reports of Raisi’s death on Sunday, writing “today is an amazing day for Iranians. Long live the freedom loving people of Iran,” to her followers on X (archived here).
At the time of Goldie’s post, the reports were merely speculative and unconfirmed. Goldie claims she came to the conclusion Raisi was dead based on what the Iranian government was broadcasting on its TV stations.
The crash came after Raisi and the “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an aggressive attack on Israel last month using missiles and drones.
Iran has successfully enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels, worrying critics of the regime, as was reported by the Associated Press.
Videos circulated on social media Sunday purporting to show people across Iran lighting fireworks in celebration of Raisi’s death.
Russian state broadcaster RT (Russia Today) was one of the first major international news networks to indicate the Iranian president died in the crash.
Iranian state television acknowledged later Sunday night that the wreckage belonging to the president’s helicopter has been found and there was no signs of life.
UPDATE: This article was updated on May 20, 2024 with new details. Read more about our editorial standards.
Did you like this article? Consider a small donation.
