Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Killed in Helicopter Crash

These are the images rocking the Middle East this morning. The charred remains of a helicopter, its tail partially intact. News that rescuers who took hours to reach the remote site found only wreckage and the bodies of the dead. Iran's hardline president and its foreign minister brought down by bad weather, an officials said. The thick fog and mountainous terrain evident from the pictures of the urgent rescue effort. In the US, the Senate majority leader racing to signal an assessment that this was not part of a plot against Iran's leaders.

I've just spoken to the intelligence authorities. At this point, there is no evidence of foul play. It looks like an accident.

[foreign language 00:00:45].

"It's unfortunate news," this Iranian says. "In Tehran, it's a loss. We were at a loss anyway." This morning countries close to Iran sending sympathy, including China, Russia and others in the Middle East. Europe's message of condolence shorter. Amid prayers in Iran, Western capitals are watching warily. (01:06) Ebrahim Raisi ran a government that launched missiles and drones at Israel just last month and in 2022, brutally crushed protests over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini. This morning, leaders of Hamas adding their public prayers. Raisi was talked about as a successor to Iran's 85-year-old supreme leader overnight, Ayatollah Khamenei declaring there will be no disruption in the country's affairs. An interim president chosen, but who replaces Raisi long-term? The future of Iran now another uncertainty amid the instability of the Middle East. (01:46) And so, now a new election in Iran must be held within 50 days. How Iran and Iranians react to this news, still an open question this morning. But one former Iranian foreign minister describing US sanctions against Iranian aviation as one of the main culprits. Savannah.

All right, Keir. Thank you. I want to turn now to NBC's chief foreign correspondent, Richard Engel. Richard, I mean, let's start right there, where Keir left us. How is this being received within Iran?

Iranians are celebrating in private. Many Iranians hated Raisi. They hate the regime, but it is a regime that is effective at maintaining control and maintaining dominance. As Kier just mentioned, there had been street demonstrations with many women on the streets taking off their veil, insulting the regime, insulting the clerical rule. But the regime had crushed those demonstrations, crushed those protests, and I think it would be very hard for demonstrators to go out now and take to the streets, especially when the regime's guards are up and they are most aware and cautious about any kind of civil symbol disturbance.

Well, as you well know, Raisi was president, but the real power in Iran lies with Ayatollah. And Raisi was actually seen as a likely successor to the Ayatollah who is getting on in years. That sets up a potential succession crisis within Iran. How do you see that playing out?

100%. I think they'll be able to find a new president fairly quickly. But in Iran, the president just carries out the orders of the supreme leader. And what's significant about Raisi is that he was 63 years old. The supreme leader who runs the country, the Ayatollah, is 85 and not well. Raisi was widely seen as the person who was going to take over for him in a year or two, so he could potentially have been in power for the next two decades or so. (03:45) Now, a real leadership crisis. Who will it be? It's possible that someone could emerge from the Revolutionary Guard, someone from the intelligence services, but not necessarily someone who's going to emerge from this electoral process that's going to take place over the next 50 days. And policy, by the way, is not likely to change. It is very unlikely that we're going to see some sort of moderate, some sort of anti-revolutionary person come up. (04:10) I think you're going to get another hardliner maybe from the Rev Guard or the intelligence services step in and we're going to see an internal fight. But now you have a succession crisis because he was the one who was going to lead this country for the next 20 years from the top.

All right. Richard Engel, thank you very much.

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