Iranian officials confirmed that all aboard the helicopter, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian, were killed.
“President Raisi, the foreign minister and all other passengers on board the helicopter were killed in the crash,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters news agency. However, he did not want to reveal his name as the matter is sensitive.
Search teams found the wreckage of the transport helicopter carrying Ebrahim Raisi in the mountainous and snow-covered area of East Azerbaijan province on Monday morning. The country’s state television reported that there was no sign of life.
The entire helicopter was destroyed.Earlier, a drone deployed by Turkey detected a ‘heat source’ (hot spot) in the area where the helicopter crashed.
President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated two dams near the border of Azerbaijan on Sunday. After that, he was going to the city of Tabriz in the northwest of Iran by helicopter. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian.
Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, the representative of Iran’s supreme leader, may be with them, Reuters news agency reported on Iran’s official news agency IRNA. The helicopter crashed 50 km away from Tabriz. But heavy fog made search operations difficult.
After Sunday’s accident, Iran’s media broadcast the speech of the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. He urged the public to pray. Supporters are asked to gather in Tehran for prayers. The supreme leader of the country also assured that there will be no impact on the daily activities of the state.
There has not been much response from the international community yet. However, some US senators and politicians have spoken out. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he had spoken with US intelligence officials. “So far no evidence has been found to raise any suspicions.”
But, he will “keep an eye on the situation.”Mr. in a press conference. Schumer said the weather was very foggy and bad where the copter crashed in northwestern Iran. So it appears to be an accident. However, the matter is still under full investigation.”