Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held on Monday a phone call with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Bagheri Kani.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani extended his condolences to Iran in a phone call with acting Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Bagheri Kani following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Qatar’s PM stressed the solidarity of the Qatari people with the Iranian nation in this “great loss”.

For his part, Bagheri Kani emphasised the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between the two states.

Iran’s president and foreign minister, along with other officials, were announced dead on Monday as a result of a helicopter crash.

According to local media, Raisi was heading to Tabriz, northwest of Iran, after returning from the border with Azerbaijan, where he opened the Qiz Qalasi and Khodaafarin dams.

Rescuers from the Iranian Red Crescent battled to look for the officials through the dense fog, blizzards and mountainous terrain to reach the site of the crash in the East Azerbaijan province.

Under the Iranian Constitution, if a president is confirmed dead, Iran’s first vice president will take over and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is now the interim president of Iran.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia were quick to offer their help in rescue efforts to find the crashed helicopter.

Meanwhile, Bagheri Kani has ordered a probe into the cause of the helicopter crash, with Russia also offering to help in that process.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu announced Moscow’s readiness to assist in the investigation.

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cited the United States crippling sanctions on Iran as reason behind the crash, saying they have badly affected Iran’s civil aviation industry.