Ebrahim Raisi: Helicopter carrying Iran’s president crashes, search underway

Key PointsA helicopter carrying Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog.State TV reported that the helicopter had been found.The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Iranians to “not worry” about the leadership of the Islamic republic.Iran was thrown into uncertainty as search and rescue teams scoured a fog-shrouded mountain area after President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter went missing in what state media described as an “accident”.Fears grew for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the aircraft carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in East Azerbaijan province, reports said.The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Iranians to “not worry” about the leadership of the Islamic republic, saying “there will be no disruption in the country’s work”.”We hope that Almighty God will bring our dear president and his companions back in full health into the arms of the nation,” he said in a nationally televised address as Muslim faithful prayed for Raisi’s safe return.Iranians pray at the Vali-Asr square for Iranian president following his helicopter accident. Source: AAP / Abedin TaherkenarehExpressions of concern and offers to help came from abroad, including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, as well as from the European Union which activated its rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort.What happened?State television first reported in the afternoon that “an accident happened to the helicopter carrying the president” in the Jolfa region.”The harsh weather conditions and heavy fog have made it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the accident site,” said one broadcaster, as the massive search effort later continued into the night.Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the helicopter “made a hard landing” in bad weather and that it was “difficult to establish communication” with the aircraft.He urged people to get their information “only from state television”, and not listen to foreign media channels Iran deems hostile to the Islamic republic.The helicopter carrying Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi takes off at the Iranian border with Azerbaijan after Raisi inaugurated the dam of Qiz Qalasi. Source: Getty / Islamic Republic NewsHow has Iran responded?Raisi’s convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely”, said the Tasnim news agency.More than 60 rescue teams using search dogs and drones were sent to the mountainous protected forest area of Dizmar near the town of Varzaghan, the IRNA news agency reported.Army, Revolutionary Guard and police officers joined the search, authorities said, as TV stations showed pictures of Red Crescent teams walking up a hill in the mist, and rows of waiting emergency response vehicles.Raisi had visited the northwestern province to inaugurate a dam project together with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, on their common border.An Iranian official said the lives of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian (pictured) were “at risk following the helicopter crash”. Source: Getty / Atta KenareAliyev said in a post on X that “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,” he said, also offering “any assistance needed”.Foreign countries were closely following the search at a time of high regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas since October 7 that has drawn in other armed groups in the Middle East.A US State Department spokesman said: “We are closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister”, adding that “we have no further comment at this time”.US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the crash, an American official said on condition of anonymity.Who is Ebrahim Raisi?Raisi has been president since 2021 when he succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, at a time when the economy was battered by US sanctions over Iran’s contested nuclear programme.Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is Raisi’s 85-year-old mentor Khamenei, supreme leader since 1989, who holds decision-making power on all major policies.For years many have seen Raisi as a strong contender to succeed Khamenei, who has endorsed Raisi’s main policies. Raisi’s victory in a closely managed election in 2021 brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners, after eight years when the presidency had been held by pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal negotiated with Washington.However, Raisi’s standing may have been dented by widespread protests against clerical rule and a failure to turn around Iran’s economy, hamstrung by Western sanctions.Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border on Sunday to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who said he had bid a “friendly farewell” to Raisi earlier in the day, offered assistance in the rescue.What would happen in the event of Raisi’s death?Iran’s vice-president Mohmmad Mokhber would take over presidential duties in the event of Raisi’s death, according to Iran’s constitution.Presidential elections should be arranged within 50 days, the constitution says.