An Iranian presidential helicopter was involved in an “accident” in the northwest of the country on Sunday, and uncertainty remained over the fate of President Ebrahim Raïssi, who would be one of the passengers on board, announced official media.
“Some unconfirmed reports indicate that the helicopter carrying President Raisi may have had an accident in the province of East Azerbaijan,” state television said, adding that operations were “underway” to locate him while the weather conditions were bad. The official IRNA news agency then reported that Ebrahim Raïssi, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were among the passengers on the plane.
Ebrahim Raïssi visited the province of Eastern Azerbaijan on Sunday, where he notably inaugurated a dam in the company of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, on the border between the two countries. State television said thick fog was making searches difficult in the mountainous region.