Rescue crews have finally reached the site of the helicopter crash carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi near the border with Azerbaijan, prompting fears for his life and the lives of those on board.
“We can see the wreckage, and the situation does not look good,” Pirhossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent, told state TV.
Reports from Iranian state media are still unclear on the condition of President Raisi and the others on board. The helicopter had been missing for over 12 hours before the wreckage was located.
Red Crescent Reaches Crash Site
Red Crescent search and rescue teams have reached the crash site of the helicopter carrying the president,” the Iranian Red Crescent said in a statement, confirming the crash site was found in the village of Tavil.
Early Monday morning, Turkish authorities released drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be the wreckage of the helicopter.” Iranian rescuers quickly rushed to the coordinates listed in the footage, which placed the fire some 12 miles south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.
International Assistance
State media also reported that allied Russia is sending a 50-man specialist mountain rescue unit to assist in the search. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the deployment in a Telegram post. Approximately 73 teams, plus detector dogs, are involved in the search and rescue operations, according to Iran’s Red Crescent.
Fears for Raisi’s Life
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is feared dead following the helicopter crash near the border with Azerbaijan on Sunday. An Iranian official stated that the lives of President Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, among others, are “at risk.
The men were on board one of three helicopters traveling in convoy over remote mountainous terrain cloaked in heavy fog when the aircraft went down. Along with President Raisi and the Foreign Minister, Governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati, Tabriz’s Friday prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem, as well as the pilot, copilot, crew chief, head of security, and another bodyguard were on board.
Efforts to Locate Survivors
Rain and a lack of roads have hampered rescue attempts. However, some of the president’s entourage were reportedly able to communicate with rescue teams after the crash, raising hopes that the incident could have ended without casualties, according to Iranian news agency Tasnim.
Last night, the head of the Red Crescent relief and rescue operation said the “possible location of the crashed helicopter” had been found. Initial reports claimed Raisi’s aircraft had been forced to make a “hard landing” in a forested area north of Varzeghan city in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
International Reactions and Speculations
The mystery crash has immediately heightened tensions across the world. Iran is a major sponsor of Hamas, which has been under relentless attack in Gaza since the terrorists launched the October 7 attacks on Israel. Tehran is also a weapons supplier to Russia in its war on Ukraine. Some Moscow propagandists linked the president’s disappearance to the attempted assassination of pro-Kremlin Slovakian leader Robert Fico last week.
Expressions of Solidarity and Prayers
The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs applauded “numerous” nations and organizations for helping the effort. The Islamic Republic of Iran sincerely thanks the numerous governments, nations, and international organizations for their expressions of human emotion and solidarity with the government and people of Iran, as well as their offers of help and assistance for the search and rescue operation,” the statement said.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev wrote online: “We were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran. Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation.”
Conspiracy Theories and Blame
While most commentators have attributed the crash to heavy fog, Russian sources pushed unsubstantiated conspiracy theories blaming the West. Vladimir Putin propagandist Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of state broadcaster RT, linked the incident to the recent shooting of Fico in Slovakia.
Implications for Iran
President Raisi has been regarded as one of two frontrunners to succeed 85-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei, along with Khamenei’s son Mojtaba. Raisi’s death would mark a monumental moment for Iran and the Middle East region, raising fears of instability among the Iranian regime.
International Monitoring
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident, according to the White House, and the US is “closely watching” reports. Iraq has offered to help Iran in the search and rescue mission, while Hamas issued a statement expressing “great concern” over the incident.
As rescue operations continue, the world watches anxiously for updates on the condition of President Raisi and the implications of this tragic event.