Watch Iran President Helicopter Crash Video
Trending News: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were reported dead in a helicopter crash on Monday, according to Iranian state media.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that other senior officials were also on board, but no survivors had been found as of 8 a.m. local time.
Iran President Helicopter Crash Video
Earlier reports from IRNA indicated that the president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society confirmed the identification of Raisi’s crashed helicopter. The helicopter, carrying Raisi, Abdollahian, and other senior officials, crashed in a mountainous region in northwestern Iran while returning from an event near the border with Azerbaijan.
On Sunday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed the “hard landing” of the president’s helicopter, stating that a search-and-rescue operation was underway. “Various rescue groups are heading towards the site, but due to fog and bad weather, it may take time to reach the area. The situation is under control,” Vahidi said.
Vahidi added that there had been contact with the president’s companions, but the mountainous terrain made communication difficult. He expressed hope that rescue teams would reach the site soon to provide more information.
IRNA also reported that two passengers on the flight had communicated with rescue workers. Intense search efforts for the helicopter included the deployment of twenty rescue teams, drones, dogs, and Iranian military troops, according to IRNA.
The Fars News Agency shared video footage of the rescue teams dispatched to the helicopter’s “hard landing” site. Earlier in the day, the Iranian government’s X account posted an image of Raisi with Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, at a dam opening along the border.
A post on Raisi’s Instagram page asked supporters to pray for his health and that of his fellow passengers.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, expressed hope on X, saying, “We hope Almighty God will return the respected, esteemed President and his entourage to the arms of the nation.” He added that the government would continue functioning amidst the ongoing situation.
Raisi, a former cleric and judge, was elected president in 2021. He had stated that Iran would continue to honor its nuclear deal with the U.S., despite former President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018. However, Raisi has been considered more of a hard-liner compared to his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani.
Last month, Raisi praised Iran’s response to an Israeli airstrike in Damascus that killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. While Iran blamed Israel for the bombing, Israel did not claim responsibility and said it intercepted 99% of the missiles and drones during the retaliatory strike.
Iran’s president is the head of government, but the supreme leader, Khamenei, holds ultimate authority. The supreme leader sets national policies, oversees their implementation, and controls the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and police force, as noted by the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to Iran’s constitution, if the president dies in office, the first vice president takes over with the supreme leader’s approval, and a new election must be held within 50 days, as reported by Reuters.
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