The commanders of the army and the IRGC met with the families of the victims of the President's flight

Ministers also promised Iranians that they would follow Raisi’s path and there would “be no problem with management of the country”. Raisi's moderate rival and predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, expressed his condolences and said "a bitter page has turned in the Islamic Revolution's book". Former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told state TV that the US was indirectly to blame for the crash because it had maintained years of sanctions that prevented Iran from buying new aircraft. Ayatollah Khamenei confirmed that Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber had been appointed acting president, in line with Article 131 of Iran’s constitution.