An intensive search operation continued in northwestern Iran on Sunday evening. “accident”According to officials and state media. “President’s helicopter crashes” in Jofa region of East Azerbaijan province, state television said.

studies are made very difficult By “Unfavorable Weather”Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on state television “Hard Landing” of the device without details.

According to the IRNA agency, President Raisi, 63, was on the plane in the company of Hossein Amir-Abdullahian, the governor of the province and the region’s main imam.

Dense fog

“We are closely monitoring reports of the possible crash of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister.”, a diplomatic spokesman in Washington pointed out. Iranian state television later in the evening aired images of worshipers praying for the president’s health in several mosques, including in the holy city of Mashhad (northeast).

It also showed images of several members of the Iranian Red Cross walking through thick fog in the search area before nightfall. “More than 20 rescue teams with full equipment including drones and rescue dogs”was “sent there”According to Irna.

Neighboring countries rallied

Since the accident was reported, several neighboring countries have come forward to help. Iraq has provided support to its search and rescue efforts. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani “The Ministry of Interior, the Iraqi Red Cross and other relevant authorities have requested the Islamic Republic of Iran to provide available evidence to assist in the search for the Iranian President’s device.”Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev offered his help. “We pray for President Ibrahim Raisi and his delegation (…)”X (formerly Twitter) announced at Ilham Alive. “As a neighboring, friendly and brotherly country, Azerbaijan is ready to provide all kinds of support”He insisted.

In case of death, fresh election

The plane was part of a convoy of three helicopters carrying the presidential delegation, two of which landed without incident in Tabriz, a large city in the northwest, from where Ebrahim Raïssi was due to reach Tehran. Still uncertain hours after the helicopter’s disappearance, developments in the situation are being closely followed internationally, particularly in the United States, which does not maintain diplomatic relations with Iran.

According to a government spokesman, Vice President Mohammad Mogbar arrived in Tabriz with several ministers from Tehran in the afternoon. With the presidential election to be held within 50 days, if Ibrahim Raisi dies, he will take over as president.

Read moreHelicopter crash in Iran: Who will act as interim president if president incapacitated?

An ultra-conservative president

Ebrahim Raïssi visited East Azerbaijan province on Sunday, where he inaugurated a dam at the company of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the border between the two countries. Ibrahim Raisi, who holds the title of Ayatollah, has been the president of the Islamic Republic for nearly three years. Considered a staunch conservative, he was elected in the first round of voting on 18 June 2021, a record no-vote for a presidential election and marked by the absence of strong contenders.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, 60, was appointed as the head of Iranian diplomacy by President Raisi in July 2021. A staunch supporter of pro-Iranian groups in the Middle East, the diplomat is close to the head of the Quds Force, the powerful General Qasem Soleimani. Revolutionary Guards killed by US strikes in Iraq in 2020.