President Ebrahim Raisi has been killed in a helicopter crash.

The President was killed on Sunday alongside Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others when their helicopter – one of three travelling in a convoy – crashed after it flew into a heavy fog in the north of the country

Raisi was heading to the city of Tabriz, in the north-west of Iran, after returning from a dam opening ceremony on the Azerbaijan border.

The president was a hardline cleric close to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

An election for a new president is due to take place in the next 50 days

In the meantime, first Vice President, Mohammed Mokhber has been appointed as interim President of the country