The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisiwas killed in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area in northwestern Iran, the country’s state media said.
He was traveling with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several others.
A major search and rescue operation was launched on Sunday to locate the plane, with help from Russia and Turkey, among others.
It was initially reported that the helicopter carrying Raisi and the foreign minister had made a rough landing in foggy conditions.
The plane crashed in a remote area of northwestern Iran on its way back from Azerbaijan, where Mr Raisi had met with President Ilham Aliyev.
Before state media confirmed that the wakes had taken place in the capital Tehran, with photos showing people kneeling in prayer.
The 63-year-old Raisi was a hardline cleric close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and was seen by some as a potential successor to the 85-year-old.
His election as president in 2021 consolidated conservatives’ control over every part of the Islamic Republic.
In a statement after his death, the Iranian government said it would continue to operate “without disruption.”
