Iranian President Raisi Missing in Helicopter Crash

Emergency services in Iran are conducting an intense search for a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several other officials. The helicopter reportedly crashed in a dense forest amid foggy weather conditions, making search operations highly challenging. According to The New York Times, which cited Iranian state media and Iran’s mission to the United Nations, the crash was reported on Sunday.

Iranian news agencies have disclosed that the helicopter carrying President Raisi suffered a “hard landing” near the border of Azerbaijan, roughly 375 miles from Tehran. The Associated Press noted that this incident occurred in treacherous weather, which has severely hampered visibility and the effectiveness of the search and rescue teams. By 12 p.m. ET (7:45 p.m. local time in Iran), seven hours after the crash, rescue teams were still struggling to locate the helicopter. The foggy conditions have not only hindered their efforts but also led to a loss of contact with some of the search and rescue personnel.

In an urgent response to the unfolding crisis, the head of Iran’s armed forces has been deployed to the crash site. Additionally, several senior officials, including members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Committee, have traveled to Tabriz, the nearest major city, to coordinate the search efforts. The New York Times reported that these officials are working around the clock to manage the situation and find the missing helicopter.

Currently, there is no official information on the condition of President Raisi or the other passengers on board. The cause of the crash also remains unknown. However, there is a glimmer of hope, as reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, which stated that some of the people aboard the helicopter have been able to “communicate with Central Headquarters.” This communication has raised hopes that there may be survivors and that the incident could potentially have occurred without fatalities.

The missing helicopter was part of a three-helicopter convoy. The other two helicopters in the convoy successfully reached their intended destination. In addition to President Raisi, the missing helicopter was carrying prominent officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Governor of East Azerbaijan Malik Rahmati. Their presence on the flight underscores the high-level nature of this mission and the critical importance of locating the missing helicopter and its passengers as quickly as possible.

The incident has brought to light the outdated state of Iran’s military air fleet. Most of the aircraft in Iran’s military inventory date back to the 1970s. Due to international sanctions, Iran has faced significant challenges in obtaining the necessary parts for maintaining and updating these aircraft, according to the Associated Press. This has raised concerns about the safety and reliability of the country’s air fleet.

Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected as Iran’s president in 2021, has had a long and controversial career in the judiciary. Before his presidency, he served as attorney general and chief justice, roles that involved overseeing the implementation of laws across Iran. Raisi is a highly polarizing figure, often referred to as the “Butcher of Tehran” due to his involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s. Human Rights Watch has condemned these actions as a “crime against humanity.” In 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Raisi and his inner circle. The sanctions accused him of perpetuating human rights abuses, including the execution of child prisoners and the imprisonment of human rights lawyers. Raisi’s history and the current crisis underscore the complex and often controversial nature of his leadership in Iran.