Iranian state TV reports that there was "no sign of life" spotted at the crash site of the helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials. Rescuers have not yet reached the site due to its location across a steep valley and poor weather conditions.
There was "no sign of life" reported Monday at the crash site of the helicopter that was carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials, according to Iranian state media. (Ali Hamed Haghdoust/IRNA via AP)
The crash occurred on Sunday near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, roughly 375 miles northwest of Tehran. State TV initially described the incident as a "hard landing," but later reported that the helicopter had crashed further east near the village of Uzi.
The governor of the East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards were also aboard the helicopter, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. One local government official described what happened as a "crash," while others referred to it as a "hard landing" or an "incident."
"The esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog," Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in comments aired on state TV.
"Various rescue teams are on their way to the region but because of the poor weather and fogginess it might take time for them to reach the helicopter," the comments continued.
The crash site is located across a steep valley and rescuers have not yet reached it, according to state media. As the sun rose on Monday, rescuers spotted the helicopter from a distance of roughly 1.25 miles, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Pir Hossein Kolivand told state media. The officials had been missing for more than 12 hours when the helicopter was observed.
The incident comes as Iran, under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack against Israel last month. Iran has also faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy in response to a struggling economy and attacks on women's rights.
According to experts, if Raisi were to die, there would likely be a power struggle within Iran's political elite. Under the Iranian constitution, the Supreme Leader holds the highest authority in the country, and he has the power to appoint and dismiss the president.
Raisi is a hardline conservative who has been a close ally of Khamenei. His death could potentially pave the way for a more moderate president to be appointed, but it is also possible that another hardliner would be chosen.
The outcome of any power struggle would depend on a number of factors, including the balance of power within Iran's political elite and the level of support for Raisi and his policies among the Iranian people.
