Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi attends a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on the Azerbaijan-Iran border, May 19, 2024. Iran’s Presidency/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Hopes are diminishing for the survival of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister following a helicopter crash in mountainous and icy conditions, an Iranian official reported on Monday after search teams located the wreckage.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” the official informed Reuters.
Rescue teams battled blizzards and challenging terrain overnight to reach the crash site in East Azerbaijan province early Monday. “We can see the wreckage, and the situation does not look good,” stated Pirhossein Kolivand, the 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 broadcast images from the site showing the helicopter had crashed into a mountain peak, although no official cause of the crash has been reported. Raisi, aged 63, was elected president in 2021 and has since implemented stricter morality laws, overseen a violent crackdown on anti-government protests, and pursued aggressive nuclear negotiations with world powers.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate authority over the country’s foreign policy and nuclear program, sought to reassure the public, stating there would be no disruption to state affairs.
A Turkish drone identified a source of heat, suspected to be the helicopter’s wreckage, early on Monday and provided the coordinates to Iranian authorities, according to the Anadolu news agency on X. State news agency IRNA reported that Raisi was aboard a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter. The chief of staff of Iran’s army has mobilized all resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guards for search and rescue operations. The national broadcaster interrupted regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi nationwide.
In the early hours of Monday, the broadcaster showed a rescue team, clad in bright jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device as they searched a dark mountainside on foot amidst a blizzard. “We are thoroughly searching every inch of the general area of the crash,” state media quoted a regional army commander. “The area has very cold, rainy, and foggy weather conditions. The rain is gradually turning into snow.”
Several countries have expressed concern and offered assistance for the rescue operations. The White House reported that U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the crash. China expressed deep concern, and the European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology.
The crash occurs amidst growing dissent within Iran over political, social, and economic issues. Iran’s clerical rulers are facing international pressure over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and its military ties with Russia during the Ukraine conflict. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which provoked an Israeli assault on Gaza, conflicts involving Iran-aligned groups have intensified 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, the supreme leader since 1989, who wields ultimate decision-making power. For years, Raisi has been viewed as a strong contender to succeed Khamenei, who has supported Raisi’s major policies.
Raisi’s victory in the tightly controlled 2021 election consolidated hardliner control over all branches of power, following the presidency of pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and the negotiation of a nuclear deal with powers including Washington. However, Raisi’s reputation may have been damaged by widespread protests against clerical rule and his failure to improve Iran’s economy, which remains hindered 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 bid a “friendly farewell” to Raisi earlier in the day, has offered assistance in the rescue efforts.
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