Social media goes rampant with rumors of Iranian President’s helicopter going missing

The rumors regarding the “hard landing” of Iranian President Raisi’s helicopter in the Azerbaijan region of Iran sparked widespread reactions on Persian speaking outlets.

Regime apologists expressed their hopes and prayers for Raisi’s wellbeing, some even trying to allege that “the first media that reported that the crashed helicopter was an Israeli one,” citing an X account named Terror Alarm, which reported that Raisi “survived an assassination attempt.”

 Other apologists denounced Persian-speaking outlets who expressed their hope that Raisi had died in the crash, wishing “blindness to those ill-wishers” who oppose the regime.

Conspiracy theories about the crash

Some conspiracy theorists implied that it was the Islamic Regime authorities who decided to kill Raisi, while another user posted a picture of Iran’s former president Rouhani alongside the news of the crash, implying that Rouhani had something to do with it. 

Similarly, others claimed that a hidden camera was getting people’s reactions to the news that the president’s helicopter crashed, perhaps to get back at those who express joy.

Caricatures and irony

A larger group consisted of activists opposing the Islamic Republic, who ironically expressed their hope that the Iranian premier would not make it alive, such as a user who posted a video of a couple of women superimposed while dancing to a song titled “Helicopter” over the remains of a helicopter in a forest.

Some users opposed to the regime could not hide their happiness, adding cynically, “I hope they find Raisi's remains soon,” while another one added similarly, “Until this moment, the remains of Ibrahim Raisi have not been found.”

Another user commented, “I think it was an assassination,” adding a smiley face.

A different user made fun of the crash, mocking Raisi’s alleged “last minutes” on board shouting at the helicopter pilot: "If you can't do it right, I'll come and do it myself!” which led to the crash. 

This refers to a widely circulated video of Raisi shouting the same words at his driver who had a hard time driving in the midst of many people.

 Likewise, a Telegram user claimed that “the good thing about being a mullah is that in critical situations like a helicopter crash, they can open their wings like Batman and land easily,” also posting a picture showing Raisi as Batman, adding: “The first published picture of Raisi during the helicopter crash!”

Another sarcastic user commented: “God forbid that Raisi's helicopter did not crash, otherwise his contribution in the history books will increase from a sentence to a paragraph.” Some were simply praying that the universe would “announce the death of the executioner.”

Some users accused Iran’s Fars news agency of posting a 2022 picture of Raisi standing near a helicopter to showcase that he is in good shape, adding: “Fars news agency took a photo from a few years ago and published it, which means that the president is healthy! Nothing is known yet, but take a look at the government of lies!”

Another user posted a picture of Raisi holding a picture of Qasem Soleimani, adding “two down”. Another user asked: “if Raisi dies does the dollar go up or down?” While last one asked: “I hope that Mr. Helicopter is well!”