Iranian president, foreign minister dead after helicopter crashes into mountain

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in the country's northwest on Sunday, Iranian state media agencies and government officials reported on Monday morning.

Raisi's death was reported along with the deaths of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, among others. According to Mehr news agency, all passengers on board were killed.

The other officials who were killed include Seyyed Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the Islamic Republic's representative to the East Azerbaijan province, and Malek Rahmati, the province's governor. The aircraft's pilot and co-pilot were also killed.

The semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency noted that identification efforts of the bodies found at the crash site were ongoing.

Late on Sunday, a helicopter that carried the Iranian leaders crashed into the mountains by the town of Tavil in Iran. 

"President Raisi's helicopter was completely burned in the crash ... unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead," an official had told Reuters.

تصاویری از محل دقیق سقوط بالگرد pic.twitter.com/piuEEN793q

— خبرگزاری تسنیم (@Tasnimnews_Fa) May 20, 2024

“We can see the wreckage, and the situation does not look good,” the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state TV late Sunday. He later added that there was "no sign of life" at the scene of the crash.

Details about the incident remained unclear. Sunday reports said the president’s helicopter suffered a “hard landing” in foggy weather. As night fell, the search became even more difficult. 

Iranian media has reported that heat detection guns were used to attempt to find signs of life.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said emergency services were conducting searches to find the helicopter, but the weather and 70-meter-tall boulders in the area were complicating the search efforts. Over 40 rescue teams were operating in the area.

تصاویری از برنامه‌ریزی تیم‌های جست‌وجو برای یافتن بالگرد #رئیس‌جمهور#بالگرد pic.twitter.com/8B1FHvo71e

— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) May 19, 2024

The reformist Ensaf News site cited an informed source as saying the crash was “serious” and that there was a “high probability” of injuries.

State TV quoted an official as saying at least one passenger and one crew member had been in contact with rescuers. It also said the helicopter had been found, though Iran's Red Crescent denied this report.

Iranian and Turkish media has extensively reported on attempts to locate the crash site, indicating that the State TV misreported the discovery.

Iranian FM, regional leaders in the helicopter with Raisi

Amir-Abdollahian and Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in East Azerbaijan and the Imam of Friday Prayer in Tabriz, were in the helicopter.

The deputy coordinator of civil affairs of East Azerbaijan said three helicopters were in the convoy, two of which landed safely and one that crashed, according to Iranian state media. The deputy coordinator added that he did not know any details about casualties or the exact cause of the accident.

Iranian media reported that some people were able to talk with Ale-Hashem shortly after the incident, but that contact has since been lost.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Iranians to pray for Raisi’s health on Sunday evening, saying, “If the people of Iran do not worry, there will be no disruption in the work of the country.”

Regime religious leaders held prayers for Raisi in several locations across Iran, according to state media.

قرائت دعای توسل در حرم‌های رضوی و حضرت معصومه برای سلامتی رئیس‌جمهور و همراهان pic.twitter.com/OoTIr6bGcM

— خبرگزاری فارس (@FarsNews_Agency) May 19, 2024

Raisi met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Sunday on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border.

Raisi is often referred to as the “butcher of Tehran” in light of his involvement in the mass executions of Iranian political prisoners in the 1980s.

US 'closely watching' reports about Raisi crash

The US State Department is closely watching reports of the crash of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister, a US State Department spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.

Aliyev said he was "seriously worried" about Raisi on Sunday evening.

"Our prayers to Almighty God are with President Ibrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation. As a neighboring, friendly, and brotherly country, the Republic of Azerbaijan is ready to provide all kinds of support," said Aliyev.

The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, announced on Sunday evening that the EU had activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service's rapid response mapping service in the area of the helicopter crash in order to help find Raisi after receiving a request to do so from Iran.

The search 

Sunday overnight, Iranian reports revealed Russian rescuers dispatched from Zhukovsky Airport to Tabriz with two advanced aircraft, three helicopters, and about 50 professional mountain rescue personnel. Additionally, according to reports, search teams examined satellite maps of the area where the helicopter carrying Iran's president crashed.

In a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Iranian ambassador, Putin stated, "We are deeply saddened by the helicopter incident involving the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iranian media reported.

Iranian Red Crescent also reported on Monday overnight that it will not spare any effort in searching for President Raisi, and that 65 rescue teams were searching for the crashed helicopter near the Sungun copper mine in the east.

Furthermore, the Iranian Red Crescent has increased its number of teams searching to 21, supplying them with advanced and specialized equipment sent from Tehran. Additionally, seven Iranian drones, along with one Turkish drone, were operating in the area of the crash, Iranian news reported, citing an informed source.

Reports state that due to weather conditions, including snow, in the area, the search teams faced reduced visibility and environmental hazards, which hindered their efforts to find the Iranian president.

Search teams have possibly found the location of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash after detecting the smell of fuel, according to a report on Iranian media later Monday night. Moreover, search teams are scouting the area for potential fire signs.

However, Iranian media reported that after further investigation, the smell of fuel was determined to be car fuel rather than from a helicopter.

Akinci UAV identifies source of heat suspected to be wreckage of helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi and shares its coordinates with Iranian authorities pic.twitter.com/0tZtMc5oaP

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) May 20, 2024

Turkish news agency Anadolu reported on Monday overnight that Turkish Akinci UAV has identified a source of heat that is suspected to be the crash site of the helicopter carrying Raisi.

Tasnim News reported that a group of senior IRGC commanders and deputy ministers of the Interior Ministry are designing new plans on-site to reach the exact location of the suspected helicopter crash quickly. Furthermore, the news agency later reported from the crisis management headquarters at the Songun copper mine site that crisis management officials and specialists are monitoring the area of the suspected helicopter crash moment by moment.

However, Tasnim news later reported that no traces of the president were found after an investigation of two possible locations. The news agency added that teams were dispatched to the coordinates identified by the Turkish drone for further investigation.

Additionally, according to the announcement, 73 rescue teams operated in the area of the helicopter crash.

Reuters contributed to this report.