Rescue workers in Iran continued their search on foot Sunday for the helicopter carrying nine people including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian after it went missing in mountainous terrain, state media reported.
Forty rescue teams were searching for the exact location of the accident with sniffer dogs and drones.
The search was hampered by darkness and rain, according to a state television reporter on Sunday evening. The remote, muddy route is inaccessible by road, forcing rescue teams to proceed on foot, he said.
Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi also stated that rescue teams were facing significant challenges accessing the crash site due to adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain.
Concerns were mounting for the crew and passengers. Hours after the crash, there was still no information about their fate, the report said. But there were also many Iranians on social media who were happy about the accident. Iran's government warned against unconfirmed information.
Meanwhile, in an interview on state television, the Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mohsen Mansouri, said that contact had already been made with the crew on several occasions. The politician did not provide any further details.
The helicopter went down on Sunday in the north-west of the country after a meeting between Raisi and the President of neighbouring Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Together they inaugurated a dam. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was also said to be on board.
According to Iranian media reports, the suspected crash site is near Jolfa, more than 600 kilometres from the capital Tehran, close to the border with Azerbaijan.
Iran's air force is considered to be severely outdated and its modernization is making little progress in the face of tough international sanctions.
Many of the aeroplanes and helicopters date back to the time before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, when the country maintained close relations with the United States.
Raisi was sworn in as Iran's new president in August 2021. He won the presidential election in June with just under 62% of the vote as the leading candidate of the political hardliners and the preferred candidate and protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Born in 1960 in Mashhad in north-east Iran, Raisi is considered to be very influential within the Islamic Republic's system. He also maintains a close relationship with Khamenei.
Raisi worked in the judiciary for over three decades and was appointed head of the judiciary in 2019. He is said to have been responsible for numerous arrests and executions of political dissidents in his previous role as public prosecutor.
According to the constitution, Raisi is only number two in the country because Khamenei is the actual head of state and also has the final say in all strategic matters.
Experts have tipped Raisi as a possible successor to Khamenei, who turned 85 in April. In terms of domestic policy - even though the younger generation is now increasingly criticizing the entire system of the Islamic Republic - Raisi has repeatedly come under pressure.
Most recently, the government pushed ahead with its controversial policy of enforcing the compulsory wearing of headscarves.
If Raisi and Amirabdollahian were to die in the incident, the Islamic Republic is likely to be plunged into a domestic and foreign policy crisis.
Iran's foreign minister has been more in the public eye since the start of the Gaza war and has travelled extensively to visit allies.
The country's leadership is also likely to find it difficult to replace the president quickly due to a lack of alternatives.
In the European Union, the situation is being closely watched.
"Following closely reports that the helicopter carrying the Iranian President and the foreign minister has been forced to land unexpectedly," European Council President Charles Michel said on the social media platform X.
The condition of both Iranian politicians is "not yet clear," Michel added.
"Together with EU member states and partners, we are monitoring the situation closely," he said.
