Dubai, May 20: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after an hours long search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country's northwest, state media reported. Raisi was 63. 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.

Under Raisi, Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels, further escalating tensions with the West as Tehran also supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine and armed militia groups across the region. Ebrahim Raisi Dead: Drone Footage Shows Crashed Iranian Helicopter Completely Destroyed, No Signs of Survivors at Crash Site (Watch Video).

Meanwhile, Iran has faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy over its ailing economy and women's rights – making the moment that much more sensitive for Tehran and the future of the country. Ebrahim Raisi Dies: Iran President, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian Confirmed Dead in Helicopter Crash, Says Report.

State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. Among the dead was Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, 60.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)