The first visuals of the transfer of the bodies who were killed in the deadly crash surfaced on Monday. However, it was not clear whether the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and army rangers, the two groups involved in the search operation following the helicopter crash, have recovered the body of President Ebrahim Raisi.
The State news agency, IRNA, released footage on Monday claiming the transfer of the bodies of the martyrs.
Raisi and his foreign minister were killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather, an Iranian official said on Monday, after search teams located the wreckage in East Azerbaijan province.
Footage obtained from Iranian media on Monday showed the helicopter at the crash site on a mountainside. Iran's Mehr news agency confirmed the deaths, reporting that "all passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred."
The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. Iran's clerical rulers face international pressure over Tehran's disputed nuclear program and its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.
(with inputs from agency)
