A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, and other officials crashed in the mountainous northwest of Iran on Sunday, prompting a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest.
The helicopter's transponders ceased transmitting signals shortly after contact with the pilot was lost. There were three helicopters carrying the government officials; the other two arrived safely at their destination. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were with Raisi on the same helicopter.
Raisi was returning from the border with Azerbaijan after inaugurating a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on the Aras River.
While one local government official described the incident as a "crash," others referred to it as a "hard landing" or an "incident."
Iran operates various helicopters, but international sanctions make it difficult to procure parts and maintain them properly. The helicopter involved in the incident was reportedly a Bell UH-1N Twin Huey, a utility military variant of the U.S.-made Bell 212. The UH-1N typically has a fifteen-seat configuration, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. The U.S. delivered them to Iran as a high-priority customer directly before the revolution in 1979. During the 1970s, Iran was a leading client for a range of advanced Western armaments. Under the leadership of the Pahlavi dynasty, the country served as a key defense partner for the United States and its Western European allies. Strategically located on the Soviet Union's borders, Iran was seen as strategically important by the U.S. during the Cold War era.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sought to reassure the nation, stating there would be no disruption to state affairs. Bad weather, cited as a factor in the crash, is also complicating rescue efforts.
In the early hours of Monday, local TVs showed rescue teams, equipped with bright jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device while searching the mountainside in a snowy blizzard.
“We are thoroughly searching every inch of the general area of the crash," a regional army commander was quoted by state media. "The area has very cold, rainy, and foggy weather conditions. The rain is gradually turning into snow."
Neighboring countries expressed concern and offered assistance. The White House reported that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the crash. Turkey dispatched a drone, a helicopter, vehicles, and a rescue team after a request from Iranian authorities. Russia plans to send special aircraft and 50 professional mountain rescuers to the site in northern Iran. The European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology.
Iran extended sincere gratitude to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the European Commission for their expressions of support.
