Thriller since President Rice’s helicopter crashes

Last updated: 20/5, 00.13

After a thriller about the whereabouts of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amiraptullahian. The accident happened around noon on Sunday near Jolba600 kilometers northwest of Tehran, on the border with Azerbaijan.

According to officials and official media, intensive searches continued into the evening in northwest Iran to find the “crashed” helicopter. Amid conflicting reports about the helicopter’s fate, the prospect of finding the 63-year-old president alive dwindled by the hour.

Tasnim news agency reported Helicopter crash site found, Iran’s state television denied reports that the helicopter itself had been found. The Red Cross also denied the news.

An Iranian official speaking on Iranian state television said this There was contact with a passenger and a crew memberAnd indeed in many cases, although there were no further reports of the fate of the passengers.

According to reports, Iran’s armed forces have detected signals from helicopters and mobile phones Flight crew member. “Now we are moving towards the region with all the military forces and I believe we can deliver the good news to the people,” Asghar Abbaskolisadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in East Azerbaijan, said, according to Tasnim news agency.

Iranian media reported that the helicopter crashed due to bad weather Injury or death of passengers cannot be confirmed; when Bad weather in the incident area complicates rescue operations.

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and the foreign minister crashed today while crossing a mountain pass in thick fog, an Iranian official said, and rescuers scrambled to the scene.

The Chief of General Staff of the Iranian Army He ordered the deployment of all forces of the Army and the elite Revolutionary Guards in search and rescue operations.

“It is dark, it has started raining, but the search continues. Rescue teams have reached the area… However, the rain has created mud, making the search difficult,” a local journalist told Iranian state television.

In the international press, CNN reported that the helicopter crash was not that serious, while Israel’s Channel 12 and the Associated Press reported that the Iranian president had died.

Raisi traveled to the Azerbaijan border today to inaugurate the Kis-Kalesi Dam, the largest joint water project between Iran and Azerbaijan, Iranian news network Press TV reported.

Meanwhile, following Iran’s request for assistance, The European Union activates the rapid response mapping service “Copernicus“, crisis management commissioner Jans Lenarczyk said in a post on the “X” site about the location of the helicopter.

An Iranian official told Reuters that the lives of Raishi, 63, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian, 60, were “at risk because the helicopter crashed.” “We are still optimistic, but the information coming from the accident site is very disturbing,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

The Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian, The Governor of East Azerbaijan province of Iran and other officials were in the helicopter with President Raisi when the event took place.

The semi-official Fards news agency called the Iranians To pray for Raisi After these statements.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross has denied the BBC report Three rescuers who were searching for the Iranian president’s helicopter have gone missing. “All official announcements about rescue operations will come from the task force responsible for these operations,” a spokesperson added.

Raisi, 63, won a second term as president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of ethics laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and taken a tough line in negotiations with international powers over Iran’s nuclear program. Many believe he wants to succeed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s political and diplomatic leadership was returning from Azerbaijan, where it attended the inauguration of a joint dam on the Aras River.

The international community is monitoring developments

As Iran is a key player in the Middle East, a region rocked by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the international community, particularly the United States, is closely monitoring the development of the situation.

“We are closely monitoring reports of a possible crash involving a helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. Washington.

Many Gulf States (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait) declared their support for Tehran and offered to assist in the investigation. Syria And Iraq.

The United Arab States The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it is ready to stand by Iran and support efforts to find the helicopter carrying the Iranian president that crashed this afternoon.

The Turkey The government’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) announced tonight that it has sent 32 rescue personnel and six vehicles to Iran to join the search for President Ibrahim Raisi’s helicopter.

“Thirty-two personnel and six vehicles specialized in mountain search and rescue operations have been dispatched” from the air and Ercerum centers in eastern Turkey, AFAD said in a post on Platform X, clarifying that Tehran had also requested the support of a helicopter. Perfectly equipped for night search.

Fifteen-member groups are “on standby” in Ankara, Diyarbakır and Konya (Ikoni).

The Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle and a Cougar helicopter with night vision capability were also involved, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

Khamenei: We pray that he will come back and the work of the country will not be affected

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has expressed his desire to quickly identify Iran’s president, who disappeared in the helicopter carrying him, insisting that nothing will change the country’s course. Addressing the families of the Revolutionary Guards, Khamenei said: “We hope that God Almighty will bring back the nation in its arms. [πρόεδρο Ραΐσι] and his companions. Everyone should pray for the health of this group of servants.” “Nation should not worry, there will be no disruption in the work of the country,” he assured.

Aliyev prays for Raizi

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev today said he was deeply saddened by the news of the crash of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president.

“Today, after we bid a friendly farewell to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi, we are deeply concerned by the news that a helicopter carrying a high-level delegation has crashed in Iran,” Aliyev said.

“Our prayers to Almighty Allah are for President Ibrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation. As a neighbor, friend and brother country, the Republic of Azerbaijan is ready to provide any necessary assistance,” he stressed.

Iraq: Baghdad offers help in search for helicopter crash of Iranian president

Iraqi authorities have ordered the Interior Ministry, the Red Crescent and other relevant agencies to assist neighboring Iran and participate in the investigation after the helicopter carrying Iran’s president and his minister crashed into a foreign mountain.

President Biden Explains Helicopter Carrying Iran President – State Department Closely Monitors Related Reports

The White House has announced that US President Joe Biden has been briefed on reports that a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahi had crashed.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the US State Department said that the State Department is closely monitoring reports that the helicopter carrying the President and the Iranian Foreign Minister has crashed.

Charles Michel: The European Union and its member states are closely monitoring the situation with the helicopter carrying Iran’s president and foreign minister.

The European Union and its member states are closely monitoring the situation with the helicopter that carried the president and the foreign minister of Iran, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, emphasized in a statement on social media “X”.

“We are closely following reports that the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister has made an unexpected landing. Their situation is still unclear. We are closely monitoring the situation together with EU member states and partners.”