Dubai:
An Iranian official informed Reuters that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were on board a helicopter that crashed on Sunday when it was traversing high terrain in dense fog. It’s getting harder for rescuers to get to the disaster scene.
Speaking anonymously, the source stated that Raisi and Amirabdollahian’s lives are “at risk” as a result of the collision, which happened when they were returning from a trip to Iran’s northwest border with Azerbaijan. There are contradictory reports regarding the position of the helicopter, despite at least one passenger and crew member communicating with rescuers.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, gave the people assurances that state business will go on as usual.
Rescue operations are becoming more difficult as a result of the incident, which Iranian state media blamed on bad weather. The helicopter was recognized as a US-made Bell 212 by the official news agency IRNA. For the rescue efforts, the Revolutionary Guard and Iranian army are completely deployed. In observance of Raisi, prayers were cut off from national broadcasts. Early on Monday, rescue crews could be seen using GPS units to comb a snow-covered mountaintop inclement weather.
Turkey and the United States are two neighbors that have pledged support. Turkey has contributed trucks, a rescue squad, a drone, and a helicopter. Emergency satellite mapping technology was provided by the EU.
The crash occurs amid internal unrest in Iran over political, social, and economic issues. International pressure is also mounting on Iran over its nuclear program and military ties with Russia. Recent regional tensions have been exacerbated by the Hamas-Israel conflict. Raisi, 63, elected in 2021, has enforced strict morality laws, cracked down on protests, and taken a hardline stance in nuclear talks. While Raisi is seen as a potential successor to Khamenei, his handling of protests and economic issues has dented his standing.
Raisi had visited the Azerbaijani border to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project with Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev, who saw Raisi off earlier, has also offered rescue assistance.
