A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi experienced a “hard landing” on Sunday, according to Iranian state media.
According to multiple reports, Iranian media said rescue teams were dispatched to the scene, but there are conflicting reports about the incident.
Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province near the city of Jolfa at the time of the incident. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and East Azerbaijan Governor were accompanying the president along with other officials.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in comments aired on state television: “The esteemed president and his company were on their way home in several helicopters, but one of the helicopters crashed due to bad weather and fog. I was forced to land,” he said.
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A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi experienced a “hard landing” on Sunday, according to Iranian state media. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
“Various rescue teams are heading to the area, but due to bad weather and fog, it may take some time for the helicopter to arrive,” he added.
“The area is a bit (craggy) and difficult to reach. We are waiting for rescue teams to arrive at the landing site and provide us with further information,” he continued.
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A local government official used the word “crash” to describe the incident, but confirmed to an Iranian newspaper that he had not yet arrived at the scene.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was also on board the helicopter that experienced a “hard landing” in Iran. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
Raisi was in Azerbaijan early Sunday morning to attend the dam’s inauguration ceremony with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. This dam is the third dam built by both countries on the Aras River.
The Iranian regime has not yet made a formal statement about Raisi’s status. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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The visit comes amid fragile relations between the two countries, including the 2023 shooting at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran and diplomatic ties between Azerbaijan and Israel, which Iran’s Shiite theocracy considers its main enemy in the region. It was done despite the fact.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
