THE TELEGRAPH
Brief contact was made with one of the passengers and one of the crew members aboard the President’s helicopter after it crashed, an Iranian official has told state TV.
Rescuers have been working for hours in difficult conditions and are now believed to be closing in on the crash site.
Until now there has been no information on the fate of the passengers aboard, who include President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
The helicopter they were travelling in came down in a mountainous area in poor weather conditions earlier today.
Follow the latest updates below.
6:48PM
Helicopter photographed at takeoff
The photo below shows the President’s helicopter taking off from the border between Iran and Azerbaijan today, according to the state news agency IRNA. It is later believed to have crashed in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
Supreme Leader tells the public not to worry
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has now spoken on the ongoing situation, as the country’s President Ebrahim Raisi remains missing.
“We hope that Almighty God will return the respected and honourable president and his companions to the arms of the nation. Everyone should pray for the health of this group of servants,” he said.
“The people of Iran should not worry, there will be no disruption in the work of the country.”
According to the constitution, the vice president assumes power in the event of the death of a president, with elections to follow.
Presidential spokesman asks for ‘patience, prayer and trust’
Iran’s presidential spokesman has commented on the ongoing situation.
“We are experiencing difficult and complicated conditions. It is the right of the people and the media to be aware of the latest news about the president’s helicopter accident,” Ali Bahadori Jahromi said.
“However, according to the coordinates of the accident site and the weather conditions, there is no new news until now.
“In these moments, patience, prayer, and trust in relief groups are the way forward.”
Iranian forces near accident site
Iranian forces say they are now “close” to the assumed site of the incident. Mountainous terrain and poor weather conditions have made it difficult for search teams to reach the site. But Iranian border forces said their search and rescue teams were now close to a potential “incident” site, although the helicopter has still not been located.
State TV pauses regular programming
State TV in Iran has suspended its regular programming and is instead broadcasting footage of the rescue efforts, as well as as well as of crowds of worshippers reciting prayers in the holy Shrine of Imam Reza in the city Mashhad, President Raisi’s hometown.
Azeri President speaks out
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, who was with Iranian President Raisi before the crash today, has said he is profoundly troubled by the news. He said his prayers were with Mr Raisi and the rest of the delegation and that “as a neighbour, friend and brotherly country, Azerbaijan stands ready to offer any assistance needed”.
President Raisi was visiting Azerbaijan to inaugurate a third dam on the border between the two countries. However, relations are not straightforward – last year, each expelled four of the other’s diplomats, and there were also tensions over the fact that Azerbaijan opened an embassy in Israel in March 2023.
Revolutionary Guard deployed
Iran has deployed members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and army forces to the search area to help look for the helicopter. Around 40 search and rescue teams, medical crews and drones have also been deployed.
Watch: What we know so far
Biden briefed
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on reports that the Iranian President has been involved in a helicopter crash today, according to the White House. The State Department said it was “closely watching” the situation.
Lives of those onboard ‘at risk’
The lives of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and their fellow passengers are “at risk following the helicopter crash”, an Iranian official has told Reuters.
“We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning,” they said.
Rescuers are expected to reach the site later tonight, according to state TV, but darkness has already fallen and weather conditions are poor.
Fate of those onboard remains unknown
Iranian state TV has reiterated that there is still no information about the fate of those onboard the crashed helicopter and that any deaths or injuries cannot be confirmed at this time.
Sensitive moment for Iran
It’s a sensitive moment in Iran for a crisis of this nature. The country has faced years of mass protests over an ailing economy and women’s rights. It is also at the centre of growing tensions and conflicts in the Middle East as it supports proxy groups including Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Russian propagandists jump on news of Iran helicopter crash
Russian news agencies and propagandists have been quick to spread unverified claims about the helicopter crash, writes James Kilner, including that President Raisi has died and that it may have been an assassination. In a thinly disguised dig, they pointed the finger at the US.
“Raisi crashed by accident in fog and Fico was shot by a crazy grandfather” said Margarita Simonyan, one of Vladimir Putin’s favourite propagandists, on Telegram. “Shit happens but it happens most reliably when carried out with careful training by the rulers of shit.”
Robert Fico, Slovakia’s Prime Minister was shot this week and is in a serious but stable condition.
The Kremlin has strengthened its alliance with Iran since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Both regimes view the US as enemy number one.
The Kremlin regularly uses social media to spread disinformation.
Darkness begins to fall on search site
There is still no information on the location of the helicopter as night falls on the area.
New rescue groups and climbers have joined the search teams but the air search was called off some time ago due to bad weather. All rescue operations are currently being conducted by ground.
US State Department ‘closely following reports’
The US State Department said it was “closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister.”
It added: “We have no further comment at this time.”
Rest of the convoy ‘arrived safely’
The helicopter that the President was travelling in was part of a convoy of three. The other two arrived at their destination safely, according to Tasnim, an Iranian news agency. However, the President, Foreign Minister and local officials are believed to have been travelling in the missing helicopter.
Medical teams deployed
Medical teams have also been deployed to the search site, the country’s health minister says.
“We have deployed medical teams and are ready to treat the wounded when [the helicopter] is located”.
Latest footage of the rescue effort
Search for President continues
We have a few images from the intensely foggy region where the search for the Iranian President and the helicopter that was carrying him is taking place.
Foreign Minister also onboard
Alongside the President, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, local officials and bodyguards are also believed to be on board. Mr Abdollahian, 60, has been Foreign Minister since 2021 and had previously served as Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs.
He is known for his support of the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” in the Middle East, which aims to counter the strength of Israel and influence of the US in the region.
He had spoken to James Cleverly, who was then serving as British Foreign Secretary, late last year to discuss the situation in Gaza, reportedly advising Mr Cleverly to “view the regional developments realistically”, according to a readout from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. He also visited London in 2015, then the most senior Iranian official to have visited the UK in a decade.
Heavy fog complicates rescue effort
State media has reported that “heavy fog and impassibility” in the area that shows the “GPS of the president’s helicopter” has caused delays to locate it. State TV from East Azerbaijan says that the intensity of the fog has greatly limited the visibility.
The Airports and Air Navigation Company of Iransaid experts at Tabriz airport are investigating the situation.
40 rescue teams now involved; air search called off
Forty rescue teams are now searching for the helicopter that was carrying Iran’s president, according to the head of the country’s emergency services.
However, air search is now impossible due to bad weather conditions.
Around an hour ago it was reported that 16 search teams were involved.
Footage emerging from rescue site
State TV has broadcast the first footage from the area of the incident, showing the heavy fog that has been hampering rescue efforts.
Who is Ebrahim Raisi?
President Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led Iran’s judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.
Raisi won Iran’s 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Raisi is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war.
Under Raisi, Iran now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections. Iran has armed Russia in its war on Ukraine, as well as launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It also has continued arming proxy groups in the Middle East, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Prayers on TV
Iranian state TV is now broadcasting prayers “for the President’s safety”.
Search focuses on copper mine
Rescue teams are reportedly searching around a copper mine for the missing helicopter.
But thick fog – and now heavy rain – is creating further complications to the search efforts. Visibility is believed to be less than five metres around the Sangun copper mine, where rescuers are currently looking.
The mine is located in mountainous and forested terrain.
Location of the incident
You can see President Raisi’s journey on the map here. He had been in Azerbaijan earlier in the day, at site 1, inaugurating a dam on the Aras River on the Iran-Azerbaijan border.
His helicopter reportedly came down at site 2, near the city of Jolfa. Details are still emerging on precise locations but the sites shown here are less than 20 miles apart.
Drones dispatched in search effort
The Iranian Red Crescent has sent drones to help locate the helicopter, its chief Babak Mahmoudi said.He added that the accident occurred in the Kalibar and Warzghan area.
“Red Crescent drones and rescue teams have been deployed to the location. We are also investigating the matter and will be there ourselves,” Mahmoudi added.
“The reports indicate an accident has occurred, and the teams should be present at the site to conduct investigations.”
16 rescue teams are searching for the president
Sixteen rescue teams are looking for the helicopter, according to Iran’s state news agency.
“Sixteen rescue teams have been dispatched to the area, but due to the region’s impassibility and unfavourable weather conditions, particularly heavy fog, the search and rescue operation will take time,” IRNA reported.
Interior Minister provides update
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has given an update on the situation to state TV.
“After inaugurating the dam, the president was returning when the helicopter carrying him had a hard landing due to the foggy weather in the area,” Mr Vahidi said. “Several rescue teams are on their way to the incident area, but due to the foggy and bad weather conditions, it will take time to reach the helicopter”.
“Efforts are underway, and we hope to reach a resolution soon,” he added. “It’s a complicated area, and making contact is difficult. We are waiting for teams to reach the area for more information.”
President photographed earlier in the day
President Raisi was photographed earlier on Sunday in neighbouring Azerbaijan, where had been inaugurating a dam on the border between the two countries. He is believed to have been returning from the trip when the incident happened.
Reaching the site ‘will take time’
Reaching the incident site will take time, Iran’s interior minister has said. Thick fog and poor visibility are hampering efforts to reach the site, according to state TV.
Helicopter reportedly made “hard landing”
The helicopter transporting President Raisi was forced to make a “hard landing” on Sunday, Iranian state television reported.
The helicopter was one of three carrying the president and his entourage, local media reported.
It was not immediately clear what caused the helicopter to come down, and various news agencies offered varying explanations for what was happening.
Incident near Jolfa
Mr Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV described the area of the incident happening as being near Jolfa, a city on the border with with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 375 miles northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River.
Iran flies a variety of helicopters in the country, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them. Its military air fleet also largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.
