Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with the country’s foreign minister and several other officials, were found dead on Monday following a helicopter crash in a foggy, mountainous region in northwest Iran, state media reported. Raisi was 63 years old.

The crash occurred amidst ongoing regional tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas conflict, during which Raisi, under the guidance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had recently ordered an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel. Raisi’s tenure saw Iran enrich uranium to near weapons-grade levels, escalating tensions with Western nations, while also supplying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine and arming regional militia groups.

Domestically, Iran has been grappling with years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy, driven by economic hardships and demands for women’s rights, making this incident particularly sensitive for Tehran.

State television did not immediately provide a cause for the crash, which took place in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. Among the deceased was Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, aged 60, as well as the governor of East Azerbaijan province, other officials, and bodyguards, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Early Monday morning, Turkish authorities released drone footage showing a fire in the wilderness, suspected to be the helicopter wreckage. The footage’s coordinates indicated the fire was located about 20 kilometers south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on a steep mountain.

Footage from IRNA showed the crash site across a steep valley in a green mountain range, with soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language confirming the wreckage’s location.

Supreme Leader Khamenei had urged the public to pray for Raisi and the other officials’ safe return on Sunday night, expressing hope for their well-being.

“We hope that God the Almighty returns the dear president and his colleagues in full health to the arms of the nation,” Khamenei said, receiving an “amen” from the worshipers he addressed. However, he assured that Iran’s government would continue its operations. Under the Iranian constitution, the vice president assumes the presidency with Khamenei’s approval, and a new presidential election would be held within 50 days if the president dies.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber had already begun receiving calls from officials and foreign governments in Raisi’s absence. An emergency cabinet meeting was held, and a statement was issued, pledging to follow Raisi’s path and ensure the country’s management continues smoothly.

Raisi, a hard-liner and former head of the judiciary, was considered a protégé of Khamenei. Analysts had speculated that he might succeed the 85-year-old supreme leader after Khamenei’s death or resignation.

With Raisi’s passing, Mojtaba Khamenei, the 55-year-old son of the supreme leader, is the only other suggested successor. However, there are concerns about the position becoming hereditary, particularly given the Islamic Revolution’s overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy in 1979.

Raisi won the 2021 presidential election, which had the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. He was sanctioned by the U.S. for his role in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.

Under Raisi, Iran enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels and impeded international inspections. The country also armed Russia in its war against Ukraine and launched a large-scale drone-and-missile attack on Israel during its conflict with Hamas. Iran continued to support proxy groups in the Middle East, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Mass protests have persisted in Iran, most notably following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly not wearing a hijab properly. The subsequent crackdown on protests resulted in over 500 deaths and more than 22,000 detentions.

In March, a United Nations panel found Iran responsible for the “physical violence” leading to Amini’s death.

Raisi is the second Iranian president to die in office; President Mohammad Ali Rajai was killed in a bomb blast in 1981 during the turbulent post-revolution period.

Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to bolster the count of foreign students in the nation’s universities to at least 500,000 by 2030, as outlined in a decree setting forth national development objectives.

The decree stipulates, “The number of foreign students pursuing higher education in Russian higher learning institutions and scientific organizations should rise to at least 500,000 by 2030.”

As per the Russian Education and Science Ministry, the current tally exceeds 355,000 foreign students studying in Russian universities. Acting Minister Valery Falkov previously highlighted Russia’s position as the world’s sixth-largest host of foreign students.

TASS calculations reveal a notable surge of over 20% in foreign student enrollment across Russian universities over the past five years. Predominantly, foreign applicants admitted to Russian universities hail from China, Vietnam, former Soviet republics, as well as various Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (25 April) called for speaking out against all forms of aggression and atrocities, and say ‘no’ to wars.

“We must speak out against all forms of aggression and atrocities, and say ‘no’ to wars,” she said adding that Bangladesh supports the UN Secretary General’s ‘New Agenda for Peace.

The prime minister was addressing the 80th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) held at the ESCAP Hall (2nd floor), United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) here.

She arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday on a six-day official visit to Thailand.

The PM said the pre-condition for sustainable development is lasting peace and security.

“We must settle regional disputes and tension through dialogue. Our mutual respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity must remain paramount,” she said.

Hasina called upon the Asia-Pacific region, especially ASEAN, to redouble their efforts to end Rohingya crisis as all efforts at regional connectivity, integration, and prosperity will continue to be marked by a missing puzzle without it.

“The origin of their crisis has been in Myanmar, and its solution also lies in Myanmar,” she declared.

“As long as that solution remains out of reach, all our efforts at regional connectivity, integration, and prosperity will continue to be marked by a missing puzzle. Let us redouble our efforts to put that puzzle back in place,” she said.

She said that in August 2017, when thousands of Rohingya men, women, and children from Myanmar fled to Bangladesh, Bangladesh offered them temporary shelter.

“With an ever growing population, this has now become one of the largest humanitarian situations in the world,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said that In the backdrop of ongoing armed conflicts in Myanmar, the Rohingya repatriation process is also getting delayed.

“This is creating serious security risks within and beyond our territories,” she said.

She called upon the Asia-Pacific region, especially ASEAN, to play a proactive role in resolving the volatile situation in Myanmar.

“We must ensure that the Rohingya can go back home in safety and dignity at the earliest possible,” she said.

The prime minister said that the Asia-Pacific region must stand united against its common enemies of poverty and hunger.

She said Bangladesh has reduced poverty from 41.51 percent to 18.7 percent between 2006 and 2022.

It also reduced extreme poverty from 25.1 to 5.6 percent during the same period.

“We remain confident about eradicating extreme poverty by 2030,” she said.

She mentioned that Bangladesh has made notable progress on food security, with focused interventions on maternal and child nutrition.

“Our current priority is to address inequalities through income distribution, asset ownership, and social protection,” she said.

The prime minister said that Asia-Pacific region must put up a united front in tackling the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and transboundary pollution.

“We need to push for ambitious climate financing goals beyond 2025 at COP-29. We need to cooperate on cross-border water management and air quality improvement. We must all prepare for growing extreme weather events,” she said.

In this connection, she suggested looking into Bangladesh’s experience in disaster risk reduction.

“We appreciate UN-ESCAP’s support in improving our early warning capabilities,” she added.

Briefly describing various development programmes and achievements of her govebrment, the prime minister said that much of the development gains are affected by climate impacts.

“As a low-lying delta, Bangladesh has no option but to invest heavily in climate resilience,” she said.

She mentioned that Bangladesh is already recognised as a global leader in climate adaptation.

“We are happy to share our traditional and innovative solutions with other vulnerable countries,” she said.

She said that Bangladesh has urged developed and emerging economies in the region to raise their time-bound emission reduction targets.

“For economies in transition, it is important to have a just energy transition.”

In Bangladesh, she said, “we are working on long-term energy security with a sound mix of clean and renewable energy.”

“We shall continue to do our part in pursuing a circular and low-carbon economic growth pathway.”

She underscored the need for increased and easy access to financing and technology from both the public and private sectors.

“I invite UN-ESCAP to help build the capacity of climate-vulnerable countries to mobilise adequate international climate financing.”

PM Hasina said that Bangladesh now provides critical links to the Trans-Asian Highway and Railway networks.

“Our physical and digital infrastructures are being developed to foster regional trade and connectivity.”

She said Bangladesh offers access to the Bay of Bengal for land-locked territories in its neighbourhood.

“We stand ready to work together with all regional partners through mutual understanding and cooperation,” said the prime minister.