Khamenei prays for safety, vows ‘no disruptions’ in governance
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were on board the helicopter that suffered a “hard landing” in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, representative of the Iranian supreme leader to East Azerbaijan were also on board the missing helicopter.
Iranian state TV reports the crash was due to adverse weather conditions.
The Iranian Red Crescent says they have deployed 40 separate teams to the region, and rescue teams are getting close to the crash site.
The Iraqi government has instructed the country’s Interior Ministry, the Red Crescent and other relevant bodies to help in the search.
Khamenei prays for safety, vows ‘no disruptions’ in governance
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed concern about the missing helicopter in a meeting with families of IRGC personnel.
“We hope that God returns the honourable president and his companions to the arms of the nation.”
“All must pray for the health of this group of civil servants. The Iranian nation must not be concerned or worried, there will be no disruption in the work of the country.”
Air searches halted amid deteriorating weather
Babak Yektaparast, the spokesperson for the emergency services organisation, says aerial searches became untenable shortly after darkness fell.
“Unfortunately, continuing aerial operations was no longer possible due to intense fog across the region,” he said, adding that more ambulances were dispatched.
But the official stressed that air ambulances are standing prepared in Tabriz and Tehran.
‘Uncertainty’ in Iran spreading
Everyone in Iran is anxiously waiting to hear about what has happened to Raisi and others in the crash, analyst Abas Aslani says.
“Nobody knows what exactly has happened and how the president and other local officials are doing, because the situation is quite complicated,” he told Al Jazeera.
“As time goes on, hopes are decreasing because the conditions are getting much worse and it’s getting darker,” Aslani, a senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, noted.
“What is being felt here in Tehran [Iran’s capital] is mostly that feeling of uncertainty.”
