Iran’s President, Raisi’s Whereabout Unknown After Helicopter Crash

The whereabouts of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is unknown after a helicopter carrying him was involved in a crash hours after posing for pictures with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and rescuers are frantically trying to reach the site.

The aircraft was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province near Jolfa, around 375 miles northwest of Tehran, when it suffered a ‘hard landing’, according to Iranian state television.

Rescuers were attempting to reach the site, but had been hampered by the poor weather conditions in the area. There had been heavy rain and fog reported with some wind.

The helicopter was one of a convoy of three and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Friday prayer Imam Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Al-Hashem and other high-ranking officials were also reportedly on the helicopter with the president.

It comes after Iran launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its conflict in Gaza.

IRNA, the state media, reported that Hossein Amirabdollahian, foreign minister; Malek Rahmati, governor of East Azerbaijan province; and Hojjatoleslam Al Hashem, Tabriz Friday prayer leader, were also on board the helicopter.

Raisi was reported to be returning from a ceremony to open a dam on Iran’s border with Azerbaijan when the helicopter crash landed in the Varzaghan region.

The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River, and it comes amid chilly relations between the two countries.

IRNA added that rescue and relief teams have been dispatched to the area, and search operations continue.

The media outfit said the foggy weather and the impassibility of the area have frustrated efforts.

There had been heavy rain and fog, along with some wind. IRNA called the area a “forest.”.