A thriller has been unfolding in recent hours following news of the crash of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdolakhian that crashed today near Jolfa, on the border with Azerbaijan, about 600 kilometers northwest of the Iranian capital. , Tehran.

The information is conflicting for the development of research both the location of the helicopter and the condition of the occupants. State television reported that search teams had found the helicopter, while the Red Crescent denied the news a little later.

Earlier an Iranian official said contact had been made with a passenger and a crew member aboard the helicopter. The official said contact has been made on several occasions.

The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the foreign minister crashed today about 600 kilometers northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran, as it crossed mountainous terrain in dense fog as rescuers scrambled to reach the scene.

The crash of President Raisi’s helicopter was due to adverse weather conditions and the injury or death of the passengers could not be confirmed, Iranian state television reported. Bad weather also complicates rescue operations.

Investigations are extremely difficult

Rescue efforts are extremely difficult as the area, which is extremely difficult to access, has difficult weather conditions with dense fog.

The chief of the general staff of the Iranian army ordered all forces of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guards to be used in search and rescue operations.

“It is dark and it has started to rain, but the search is continuing. Rescue teams have reached the area…however, the rain has created mud, making the search difficult,” a local reporter told Iranian state television.

Rescue teams are expected to arrive at the likely crash site later this evening.

Raisi had gone to the Azerbaijan border today to inaugurate the Kiz-Kalesi Dam, the largest joint water project between Iran and Azerbaijan, according to the Iranian news network Press TV.

The chronicle and the first information

Iranian President Raisi’s helicopter was returning from Azerbaijan when initial reports said it carried out “rough landing”.

Neither IRNA nor state television provided information on Raisi’s condition in the following hours. However, state television interrupted its program and began broadcasting prayers while the country’s authorities called on citizens to pray. State television later broadcast images of worshipers praying at the Imam Reza Shrine in the city of Mashhad, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites, as well as in Qom and other locations across the country.

“The honorable president and other dignitaries were returning in helicopters, one of which was forced to make an ‘abnormal landing’ due to bad weather and fog,” Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in comments broadcast on state television. “Several rescue teams are on their way to the area, but due to bad weather and fog it may take time for them to reach the helicopter.”

A message has been posted on the Iranian president’s official Instagram account that says “Pray for me.”

Ayatollah Khamenei calls on Iranians not to “worry” about the country’s governance

In his first statement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Iranians “not to worry” about the country as searches continue for the helicopter that crashed in northwestern Iran, carrying President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

“The Iranian people should not worry, there will be no unrest” in the country, Iran’s supreme leader said, saying: “I hope God brings the president and his companions back into the arms of the nation.” “Everyone pray for the health of these servants,” he added in a speech before the families of members of the Revolutionary Guards, according to the official IRNA news agency.

There will be no disturbance in Iran’s state affairs, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

Friends and rivals offer help

Several countries rushed to help Iran in search and rescue operations after the helicopter carrying its president, Ibrahim Raisi, crashed on Sunday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has ordered his country’s interior ministry and relevant agencies to offer assistance in the search for the missing helicopter, according to Bassem al-Awadi, a spokesman for the Iraqi government.

Turkey’s national emergency agency said it had sent 32 rescuers and six vehicles to help with the search, although it did not specify the types of vehicles. Iran, the agency said, had requested a search and rescue helicopter with night vision capabilities.

The European Union activated its Copernicus satellite system to provide emergency mapping services to help Iranian officials gain better visibility of the area where the helicopter is believed to have crashed, according to crisis management chief Janez Lenarcic. He said the EU did so following a request for help from Iran.

And the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia – a regional rival that restored relations with Iran last year after a seven-year period of tension – said the kingdom “stands by the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran in these difficult circumstances and was ready to offer any assistance which the Iranian authorities need.”