Iran launched a massive search-and-rescue operation Sunday to search fog-shrouded mountainous areas after President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter went missing in what state media described as an “accident.”
According to reports, the loss of contact with the helicopter carrying him in East Azerbaijan province and with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian and others has heightened concerns among ultra-conservatives about him.
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneiurged Iranians “not to worry” about the Islamic Republic's leadership, saying “there will be no disruption to the country's activities.”
“I hope that Almighty God will bring our dear president and his companions back into the arms of the people in perfect health,” he said on state television.
Expressions of concern and offers of help have also come from abroad, including from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and Turkey, as well as the European Union, which announced it had launched a rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort.
State television reported that “the helicopter carrying the president had an accident'' in the Jolfa region of the western province, but some officials described it as a “hard landing.''
“Hard weather conditions and dense fog are making it difficult for rescue teams to reach the accident scene,” one broadcaster said.
More than 40 rescue teams using search dogs and drones were dispatched to the scene, IRNA news agency reported, and television stations showed pictures of a convoy of emergency response vehicles on standby.
Raisi was visiting the province where Azerbaijan's government has started a dam project. President Ilham Aliyevlocated on the border between the two countries.
Raisi's convoy included three helicopters, and the remaining two “reached their destination safely,” Tasnim news agency said.
Since October 7, foreign countries have been closely monitoring the search operations as tensions in the region have escalated over the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which has also implicated other militant groups in the Middle East.
A State Department spokesperson said: “We are closely monitoring reports that the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister may make a hard landing in Iran.''
“We have no further comment at this time.”
A team from the Iranian Red Crescent Society was shown climbing a hill amid heavy fog and drizzle, while other live footage showed worshipers chanting prayers in the holy city of Mashhad, Raisi's hometown. was.
～Dense fog and drizzle～
In neighboring Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani “instructed the Ministry of Interior, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society and other relevant authorities to provide available resources to assist in the search.”
“We are deeply troubled by the news that a helicopter carrying a top delegation has crash-landed in Iran,” Azerbaijani President Aliyev said in a post on X.
“I join President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation in offering our prayers to Almighty Allah,” he said, adding that Japan is “ready to provide all necessary support.”
The accident occurred in the mountain protected forest area of Dismar, near the town of Varzagan, state news agency IRNA said.
Military personnel were also sending teams to the area, along with the Revolutionary Guards and police, said Mohammad Bagheri, the army's chief of staff.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said one of the helicopters had made a “hard landing due to bad weather” and had “difficulties establishing communications” with the aircraft.
– A long-standing crisis –
Raisi has been president since 2021, when he succeeded moderate Hassan Rouhani, and during his term Iran has faced crises and conflict.
He took the helm of a country in the grips of a severe social crisis and an economy strained by U.S. sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.
In Iran, a wave of large-scale protests erupted in September 2022 after Mahsa Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman who died in custody after being arrested on suspicion of flouting women's dress codes. .
In March 2023, regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a surprise deal to restore diplomatic relations.
The outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7th has reignited tensions in the region, leading to a series of escalating retaliations, with Iran firing hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April 2024.
In a speech after the dam's inauguration on Sunday, Raisi emphasized Iran's support for the Palestinians, which has been the centerpiece of Iran's foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi said: “We believe that Palestine is the first problem of the Islamic world, and we are convinced that the peoples of Iran and Azerbaijan will always support the people of Palestine and Gaza and hate the Zionist regime. ” he said.
Born in 1960 in the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, Raisi served as Tehran's prosecutor general from 1989 to 1994, as deputy head of the judiciary for 10 years from 2004, and as the country's prosecutor general in 2014.
His black turban indicates he is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, and state media refers to him by the senior title of ayatollah in the Shiite clerical hierarchy.
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