Helicopter Carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashes, search underway

Iranian state media has announced that a helicopter transporting President Ebrahim Raisi and other high-ranking officials experienced a hard landing on Sunday. There is no immediate information regarding casualties.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, the helicopter carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and other senior officials crashed in a mountainous region of northwestern Iran while returning from an event near the Azerbaijan border.

It was reported that two out of three helicopters on this trip arrived safely at their destination, but search efforts are ongoing for the one carrying Raisi. Iran’s Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, confirmed the president’s helicopter had a hard landing and stated that search-and-rescue operations are currently in progress.

Rescue teams are heading to the location, although heavy fog and adverse weather conditions could delay their arrival, stated Vahidi. Efforts are being managed effectively.

We have made contact with the president’s associates, but due to the mountainous terrain and communication challenges, we are optimistic that rescue teams will arrive at the incident site promptly to provide further updates, he continued. According to IRNA, two passengers on the flight have already been in touch with rescue personnel.

Rescue teams are searching for the helicopter

According to IRNA, twenty rescue teams, including drones and dogs, were dispatched to the location, and Iranian military personnel were also mobilized to aid in the rescue mission.

Fars News Agency shared video footage purportedly showing the rescue teams at the site of the helicopter’s hard landing. Earlier that day, an image on the Iranian government’s X account depicted Raisi sitting beside Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev at a dam inauguration on their shared border.

A message on Raisi’s Instagram urged supporters to pray for his well-being and that of his companions. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, expressed on X: We hope Almighty God will return our respected President and his entourage safely to our nation, while assuring that government operations would proceed despite the incident.

Ebrahim Raisi was elected in 2021 and is a relative hard-liner

Ebrahim Raisi, previously a cleric and judge, was elected as Iran’s president in 2021. Upon assuming office, he affirmed that Iran would uphold its nuclear agreement with the United States, despite former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrawing from the deal in 2018.

Nonetheless, Raisi is perceived as more of a hard-liner compared to his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani. Recently, Raisi praised Iran’s assault on Israel following an airstrike in Damascus that resulted in the deaths of seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Although Iran accused Israel of the bombing, Israel did not acknowledge responsibility. Israel reported intercepting 99 missiles and drones launched by Iran during its counterattack.

While Iran’s president leads the government, ultimate authority rests with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who establishes national policies and oversees their enforcement. Khamenei also commands the IRGC and police force according to information from the Council on Foreign Relations.

Reuters notes that if an Iranian president dies while in office, their duties are assumed by the first vice president with approval from the supreme leader until a new election is conducted within 50 days as mandated by Iran’s constitution.