A helicopter with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi There was a “crash landing” on board on Sunday, state media reported, with weather conditions complicating rescue efforts.
Raisi's condition is unclear, state news reports said, which also included prayers for his safety. Late Sunday afternoon, Iran's Vice President Mohsen Mansouri reported that two people on the helicopter flight had made contact with the rescue team. It was not known whether Raisi was one among these two passengers.
As the search began, Iranian state media reported that the location of the helicopter crash had been identified.
The commander of the East Azerbaijan army said that a signal was received from the helicopter and a mobile phone of one among the crew members on the accident site “a few minutes ago.”
“At the moment we are heading to the area in question with all forces and I hope to bring good news to the people,” the commander said.
At least 40 rescue teams, including drones and search dogs, were deployed, but harsh weather and heavy fog in the world made it difficult for them to succeed in the location, state media said.
Eight ambulances were dispatched to the crash site and fog prevented air rescue, it said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also traveled by helicopter, together with East Azerbaijan's Governor Malik Rahmati and Raisi's security personnel, it said. State television IRIB said the helicopter belonged to the Iranian Red Crescent, which Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said was part of a bigger convoy. Her condition was also unknown.
“Various rescue groups are on their way to the site, but due to the fog and bad weather it may take some time before we reach the area,” Vahidi said in comments broadcast on state media.
The officials were getting back from the border with the country of Azerbaijan – in northwestern Iran, about 600 kilometers from the capital Tehran – where Raisi, together with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, inaugurated a dam on the Aras River. The incident was initially reported to have taken place near the town of Jolfa, but was later said to have occurred further east near the village of Uzi. Details remain contradictory.
“Azerbaijan is ready to offer any assistance needed,” Aliyev said in a single Post on X. “We are deeply disturbed by the news of the crash landing of a helicopter carrying the top delegation in Iran.”
State media showed Red Crescent rescuers moving through thick fog with just just a few meters of visibility and said the helicopter was believed to have crashed in a rural forest.
With no clarity on Raisi's condition, anxious Iranians began saying prayers and dozens gathered in the town of Qom, a holy city for Shiite Muslims, state media showed. A story was also posted on Raisi's Instagram page asking people to wish for him.
Although Raisi is the elected president and heads the federal government, he still reports to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who serves as head of state.
In the event of Raisi's death, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber might be next in line for the presidency after a nod from Khamenei. A brand new president must then be elected inside 50 days.
The Qiz Qalasi Dam is the third dam built jointly by Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan, taking nearly 20 years to finish, in response to state media.
Although Iran has numerous helicopters, international sanctions have made it difficult for Tehran to acquire the parts it needs. Most helicopters utilized by the military predate the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi, 63, is himself under U.S. sanctions over his role within the mass execution of hundreds of political prisoners in 1988 at the tip of the bloody Iran-Iraq war.
He was re-elected in 2021, in an election that recorded the bottom voter turnout within the history of the Islamic Republic. A hardliner, Raisi formerly headed the country's judiciary and is taken into account Khamenei's protégé and sure contender for the throne.
The death of Mahsa Amini in police custody two years ago sparked a wave of protests across the country, becoming the largest challenge to the theocratic regime since its founding in 1979. The government rounded up protesters in a violent crackdown that left lots of dead.
In one (n Interview with NBC News Last yr, Raisi defended the federal government's response and warned that those attempting to sow instability within the Islamic Republic would pay a “heavy price.”
Under Raisi, Iran is now enriching uranium to close weapons levels and obstructing international inspections. Iran has armed Russia in its war against Ukraine and launched an enormous drone and missile attack on Israel as a part of its war against Hamas within the Gaza Strip. It has continued to arm proxy groups within the Middle East, including the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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