Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died. He was a hard-line protege of the country’s supreme leader who helped oversee the mass executions of thousands in 1988 and later led the country as it enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels, launched a major attack on Israel and experienced mass protests. He was 63. Raisi died Sunday along with the foreign minister and other officials in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran. His death comes as Iran struggles with internal dissent and its relations with the wider world. Raisi lost a presidential election to the relatively moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani in 2017. He came to power four years later in a vote carefully managed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to clear any major opposition candidate.

A month before Kevin Costner puts the first installment of his multi-chapter Western “Horizon: An American Saga” into theaters, the actor-director came to the Cannes Film Festival to unveil his self-financed passion project. The movie is actually two, or if Costner has his way, four. “Horizon: Chapter One,” which runs three hours, will be released by Warner Bros. in theaters June 28. “Chapter Two” follows August 16. Costner has scripts ready for parts three and four. It’s also Costner’s biggest gamble, ever. To raise the money for the $100 million-plus production, he mortgaged his seaside Santa Barbara, California, estate.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and several other officials have been found dead after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest. State media announced the deaths after the crash site was found on Monday, after hours of searching. The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel last month. Under Raisi, Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Meanwhile, Iran has faced years of protests against its Shiite theocracy over its ailing economy and women’s rights — making the moment that much more sensitive for the country.

Iran’s first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed president of the Islamic Republic after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the announcement of Mokhber’s appointment on Monday in a condolence message he shared for Raisi’s death. The 68-year-old Mokhber has largely been in the shadows compared to other politicians in Iran’s Shiite theocracy. However, he’s held prominent positions with in the country’s power structure, particularly in its bonyads, or charitable foundations. Those groups were fueled by donations or assets seized after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, particularly those previously associated with Iran’s shah or those in his government.