Iran’s Search For Crashed Helicopter Carrying President Raisi, Other Officials Extends Into Nightfall

By Michael Lipin

Iran says a search for a helicopter that crashed while carrying its president and other senior officials in the country’s northwest extended into nightfall Sunday, as the fate of Ebrahim Raisi remained unclear.

Iranian state media said the helicopter crashed earlier Sunday in bad weather near Jolfa in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. They said it was flying President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and two other officials back to Iran from an event just across the border with Azerbaijan, where they met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to inaugurate a dam project.

Iranian media said the crashed helicopter was one of three transporting Iranian officials back from the event, where they inaugurated the Khoda Afarin and Giz Galasi hydroelectric power plants along the Aras River that marks the border between Iran and Azerbaijan. The plants are located on the stretch of river between the Azerbaijani district of Jabrayil and Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.

Iranian state media had reported on Saturday that Raisi would travel to the border region for the inaugural ceremony. Following the crash, Aliyev posted a statement on the X platform, saying he was profoundly troubled by news of the crash of Raisi’s helicopter and offering prayers and assistance as a “friend and brotherly country.”

Iranian media said rescuers were trying to reach the crash site on foot, due to foggy conditions that limited visibility in the area.

Iran’s constitution says that if the president dies or is incapacitated, the president is temporarily replaced by the first vice president, a role currently occupied by Mohammad Mokhber, until a new presidential election is held within 50 days. The role of president is subservient to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who retains his ultimate authority over the affairs of the country.

In a VOA Persian TV interview on Sunday, Germany-based independent Iranian journalist and researcher Reza Talebi said that if Raisi has died, Iran’s Islamist rulers may declare him a martyr who died as a result of foul play by their chief external enemies, Israel and the United States. There is no evidence of foul play.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington is closely following reports of the Iranian helicopter crash. “We have no further comment at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Payam Yazdian, Farhad Poulavi and Masood Farahmand of VOA’s Persian Service and VOA Azerbaijani Service chief Asgar Azgarov contributed to this report.