Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, expressing condolences for the deaths of Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and other officials who perished in the helicopter crash on Sunday.
In the letter, Aliyev stated, “We were deeply shocked by the news of the tragic loss suffered by friendly and brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, and its people — the fatal helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and other accompanying persons. On this day of sorrow, I pray to Allah Almighty to grant patience and fortitude to the friendly and brotherly people of Iran. We share in your grief and on behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I extend our deepest condolences to you, the families and loved ones of those who perished, and to your entire nation.”
“By Article 131 of the Constitution, Mokhber is in charge of leading the executive branch,” Khamenei said in a statement. He added that Mokhber will be required to work with the heads of legislative and judicial to prepare for presidential elections “within a maximum period of 50 days,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Iranian cabinet has named Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani as the acting foreign minister after the passing of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. In a statement released on Monday morning, Khamenei expressed profound sorrow over the deaths and extended his condolences to the nation’s citizens. Al Jazeera reported Kani has served as deputy foreign minister since September 2021, reported Al Jazeera. Moreover, he was deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council between 2007 and 2013.