What happens in Iran when a president dies in office?

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is welcomed upon his arrival at Damascus airport in Syria on May 3, 2023. (Reuters/Yamam al Shaar)

ran's President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash, an Iranian official and Mehr news agency reported on Monday. Below is a brief outline of what Iran's constitution says happens when a president is incapacitated or dies in office:

* If a president dies in office, article 131 of the Islamic Republic's constitution says that the first vice president - who is Mohammad Mokhber - takes over, with the confirmation of the supreme leader, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran.

* 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.

Raisi was elected president  in 2021 and, under the usual timetable, a presidential election had been due to take place in 2025. Under constitutional rules, it can now be expected to take place by early July.

On Monday, Iranian media outlets declared Raisi dead after his helicopter crashed, though there has been no official confirmation yet.

"The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi, had an accident while serving and performing his duty for the people of Iran and was martyred," said the local Mehr news agency, with other outlets also reporting the news. 

On Sunday, Iranian state television had reported that a helicopter carrying Raisi had been in an accident in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province amid poor weather conditions.

The accident happened in the mountainous protected forest area of Dizmar near the town of Varzaghan, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Early Monday, Iran's Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said rescue teams had located the helicopter and were heading towards the site. 

State TV reported that there were "no signs" of life among passengers "as of yet." 

Local media has shared multiple images of what appeared to be the wreckage of the aircraft.

Raisi had earlier inaugurated a dam project with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on the border between the two countries. 

Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi described the accident as a "hard landing due to the weather conditions".

Raisi's convoy comprised three helicopters including two that landed safely in the northwestern city of Tabriz. 

Vahidi said it was "difficult to establish communication" with the third helicopter which was carrying Raisi.