Hopes are fading for the survival of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister following a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather conditions. An Iranian official informed Reuters on Monday that the wreckage of the helicopter had been located, and it was completely burned.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” the official reported.
Rescue teams battled blizzards and challenging terrain throughout the night to reach the crash site in East Azerbaijan province, arriving in the early hours of Monday.
“We can see the wreckage and the situation does not look good,” said Pirhossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent, on state television. “With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter’s passengers.”
Iranian state media released images showing the helicopter crashed into a mountain peak, though there has been no official statement regarding the cause of the crash.
President Raisi, 63, was elected in 2021 and has since implemented stricter morality laws, led a severe crackdown on anti-government protests, and taken a hard stance in nuclear negotiations with world powers.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate authority over Iran’s foreign policy and nuclear program, sought to calm the nation, assuring that state affairs would continue without disruption.
PRAYERS, SEARCHES
A Turkish drone identified a source of heat suspected to be the helicopter’s wreckage early on Monday and had shared the coordinates of the possible crash site with Iranian authorities, Anadolu news agency said on X.
State news agency IRNA said Raisi was flying in a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter.
The chief of staff of Iran’s army ordered all resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guards to be put to use in search and rescue operations.
Earlier, the national broadcaster had stopped all regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country.
In the early hours of Monday, it showed a rescue team, wearing bright jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device as they searched a pitch-black mountainside on foot in a blizzard.
“We are thoroughly searching every inch of the general area of the crash,” state media quoted a regional army commander as saying. “The area has very cold, rainy, and foggy weather conditions. The rain is gradually turning into snow.”
Several countries expressed concern and offered assistance in any rescue.
The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on reports about the crash. China said it was deeply concerned. The European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology.
HARDLINER, POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR TO KHAMENEI
The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. Iran’s clerical rulers face international pressure over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme and its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.
Since Iran’s ally Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, provoking Israel’s assault on Gaza, conflagrations involving Iran-aligned groups have erupted throughout the Middle East.
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 powers including 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.
