Iranian President Raisi's helicopter made an emergency landing

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the inauguration of the Qiz Qalasi and Khodaafarin dams on the border of the two countries. Following the meeting, on the return journey, the helicopter carrying Raisi and 3 Iranian officials made a forced landing in East Azerbaijan province.

Statements made following the helicopter's emergency landing are as follows:

Officials accompanying Iranian President Raisi:

Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian,

East Azerbaijan Province Governor Malek Rahmati,

Tabriz Friday Prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem.

FORCED LANDING PERFORMED

It was alleged that Iranian President Raisi's helicopter performed a forced and hard landing due to difficult weather conditions caused by dense fog and extreme wind. Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed that one of the aircraft in President Raisi's helicopter convoy had made a forced landing.

Vahidi's statement is as follows:

"The helicopter carrying the President (Raisi) was forced to make a hard landing due to poor weather conditions. Rescue teams have not yet reached the area. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the region, but due to the foggy and unfavorable conditions of the area, it may take time to reach the helicopter."

It was reported that there were 3 helicopters in the convoy and that 2 helicopters carrying some ministerial officials reached their destinations safely.

It was claimed that President Raisi was traveling to Tabriz by land and that his condition was good. State television did not provide further details regarding the incident.

While the semi-official Fars news agency called on Iranians to pray for Ebrahim Raisi, state television also broadcast prayers for Raisi's safety.

Deputy Governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, Jabbarali Zakiri, stated regarding the helicopter accident in Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's convoy that 2 of the 3 helicopters had landed, and one had crashed.

According to the statement made by the Iranian Red Crescent, the accident occurred between Kaleybar and Varzaqan, and the area where the accident took place was being scanned with UAVs.

WITHIN HALF AN HOUR...

According to Reuters, citing state media, it was claimed that Raisi's helicopter would be reached within half an hour.

ALIYEV MADE A STATEMENT

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated regarding the helicopter accident carrying Raisi, "Azerbaijan, as a neighboring, friendly, and brotherly country, is ready to provide any kind of support."

Aliyev made the following statement on the X social media platform:

"Today, after bidding a friendly farewell to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran. Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation. Azerbaijan, as a neighboring, friendly, and brotherly country, is ready to provide any kind of support."

Today, after bidding a friendly farewell to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, we were profoundly troubled by the news of a helicopter carrying the top delegation crash-landing in Iran. Our prayers to Allah Almighty are with President Ebrahim Raisi and…

— Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz) May 19, 2024

REQUESTED ALL RESOURCES BE USED

Iranian Chief of General Staff Mohammad Bagheri gave instructions for all resources to be mobilized to find the helicopter carrying Raisi. Iranian state television shared Bagheri's written statement on the matter.

Bagheri stated, "All resources and equipment of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps must be used for the search and rescue operations to find President Raisi's helicopter."

DENIED

Claims that the Iranian National Security Council had called for an emergency meeting with the participation of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were denied.

In a report by the Iranian press citing an unnamed official, it was stated, "The Iranian National Security Council did not hold an emergency meeting regarding the accident of the helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions. This information on social media is baseless."

In his first statement, Khamenei said, "We hope that Almighty Allah will return the President and his companions to the nation. Everyone should pray. The Iranian people should not worry; there will be no disruption in the country's affairs."

"NO DEVELOPMENTS"

Iranian Government Spokesperson Ali Bahadori Jahromi stated in a post on his X account that there had been no developments yet regarding the search and rescue operations for President Raisi's helicopter.

Jahromi included the following in his post:

"We are experiencing difficult and complex conditions. It is the right of the public and the media to receive the latest news regarding the President's helicopter incident. However, the specific situation of the accident site and weather conditions must be taken into account. There is no new news yet."

STATEMENT FROM TURKEY

The statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs included the following:

"We are following the developments regarding the helicopter accident in Iran today (May 19) with sadness.

We hope that the Iranian officials, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, are safe and healthy, and we convey our best wishes to the brotherly Iranian people.

Action has been taken to provide all kinds of support for search and rescue activities."

IRAN REQUESTED FROM EU

The European Union (EU) announced that it had activated its rapid response satellite mapping service at Iran's request.

Janez Lenarcic, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management and Humanitarian Aid, announced in a statement on his X account that the Copernicus Emergency Management Service had been activated due to the helicopter accident upon Iran's request for assistance.

EU Council President Charles Michel also shared the message, "We are closely following the situation with EU member states and our partners."

SUPPORT MESSAGE FROM THE UN

UN Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq stated, "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) is following the news regarding the incident involving Iranian President Raisi's helicopter with concern."

Haq shared UN Secretary-General Guterres's "hope that Raisi and his companions are safe."

CONTACT ESTABLISHED

Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri stated that they had established contact with President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter, saying, "We have contacted and spoken with 2 people on the helicopter several times. We are searching within a two-kilometer area. I hope good news arrives."

Officials, who reported that they were in communication with an unidentified passenger from the crashed helicopter, stated that Raisi had not yet been found.

Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Iranian Red Crescent official Mohsen Mahsuri stated that "they had spoken with the flight crew of the crashed helicopter multiple times, and therefore there might not have been major damage to the helicopter as a result of the accident."

Mansouri, who gave important details about the incident, added:

"They set off for Tabriz (ministers) around 13:00 in the afternoon to inaugurate a petrol pump. The flight crew was there along with the foreign minister, the Imam of Tabriz, and the governor of Tabriz. Three helicopters took off, but half an hour after takeoff, communication between the president's helicopter and the other two helicopters was lost."

Iranian officials are facing great difficulty in search operations due to dense fog and poor weather conditions.

Mansouri said the following regarding the search operations:

"Due to the severe conditions in the region, the work is progressing a bit slowly; the weather is cold and foggy, and access to the region has become difficult. I advise everyone to be patient."

BIDEN BRIEFED

The US Department of State announced that the US is closely following the news regarding the accident. In the statement made by the White House, it was stated that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the matter.

STATEMENT FROM SAUDI ARABIA AND QATAR

Saudi Arabia and Qatar offered assistance to Iran regarding the search operations for the helicopter. In the statement made by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was said, "We confirm that the Kingdom stands with brotherly Iran in these difficult circumstances and is ready to provide any kind of assistance needed by Iranian institutions."

Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari stated that Qatar offered to provide all kinds of support to Iran for the efforts to find the helicopter carrying Raisi and Abdollahian.

TURKEY SET OFF

In the statement made by AFAD, it was stated that information was received that the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had crashed on the Iran-Nakhchivan border.

In the statement, which reported that Iran requested a night-vision search and rescue helicopter from Turkey through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the following was noted:

"Today, information was received that the helicopter carrying Iranian President Mr. Ebrahim Raisi crashed on the Iran-Nakhchivan border. Iran has requested a night-vision search and rescue helicopter from our country through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 32 mountaineer search and rescue personnel and 6 vehicles from our Van and Erzurum AFAD provincial directorates have set off to reach the region. In addition, our 15-person mountaineer search and rescue teams from Ankara, Diyarbakır, and Konya are on alert. We are following the developments."

STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

The Ministry of National Defense stated that 1 Akıncı UAV and 1 Cougar-type helicopter with night-vision capability were assigned to participate in the search and rescue activities for the Iranian President and his delegation's helicopter.

In the statement made by the Ministry of National Defense, the following was noted:

"Upon the request made by Iranian authorities through our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one Akıncı UAV and one Cougar-type helicopter with night-vision capability have been assigned to participate in the search and rescue activities for the Iranian President and his delegation's helicopter that crashed."

IRANIAN TELEVISION REPORTED

Iranian state television reported that the location of the helicopter that crashed while carrying President Raisi and his delegation had been identified.

REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS ANNOUNCED

The official Iranian news agency IRNA published the statement made by the East Azerbaijan Revolutionary Guards Command.

In the statement, it was stated that a signal was received from the mobile phone of one of the crew members at the helicopter and accident site, and soldiers were dispatched to the region.

STATEMENT FROM THE IRANIAN RED CRESCENT

According to the Mehr News Agency, Iranian Red Crescent Vice President Mohammad Ghobadi provided information regarding the search and rescue operations.

Ghobadi said, "Search and rescue teams are 3 hours away from one of the points suspected to be the location where the helicopter crashed."

The Iranian official noted that Red Crescent and armed forces personnel are continuing the search and rescue operations.

News Source: 12punto