A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with the country’s foreign minister and other officials, reportedly crashed in the mountainous northwest of Iran on May 19, triggering a large-scale rescue operation in a fog-covered forest. The public was urged to pray for the safety of those on board, AP News reports.
The incident occurred while Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State television reported a "hard landing" near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, approximately 600 kilometers northwest of Tehran.
Contradictory reports later placed the incident closer to the village of Uzi. The helicopter was carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan province, other officials, and bodyguards, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. While one local official used the term "crash," others referred to it as a "hard landing" or an "incident."
The situation is particularly sensitive as Iran, under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has recently engaged in significant regional conflicts. Last month, Iran launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel and has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels. Additionally, Iran has faced mass protests against its theocratic regime over economic woes and women's rights, adding to the country's internal pressures amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
State television has not provided information on Raisi’s condition following the incident, but hard-liners urged the public to pray for him. State TV aired images of people praying at Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad and in other locations like Qom. The prayers were broadcast continuously on the main channel.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi provided some details in comments aired on state TV: "The esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog. Various rescue teams are on their way to the region but because of the poor weather and fogginess it might take time for them to reach the helicopter." He added, "The region is a bit rugged and it’s difficult to make contact. We are waiting for rescue teams to reach the landing site and give us more information."
IRNA described the area as a "forest," and the region is known for its mountainous terrain. State TV showed images of SUVs navigating through a wooded area, hindered by heavy rain and wind. A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the suspected crash site but was unable to land due to heavy mist, as reported by emergency services spokesman Babak Yektaparast.
Earlier on May 19, Raisi was on the border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. This dam is the third built jointly on the Aras River, despite strained relations between the two countries, which include a 2023 gun attack on Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Tehran and Azerbaijan's diplomatic ties with Israel.
Iran’s helicopter fleet is diverse, but international sanctions make obtaining parts challenging, and much of the military air fleet dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. IRNA published images showing Raisi taking off in what appeared to be a Bell 412 helicopter, recognizable by its blue-and-white paint scheme.
Fars News Agency has released images of the Iranian president's helicopter prior to the crash. The photos depict a Bell 214.
Raisi, 63, is known as a hard-liner and former judiciary chief, seen as a protégé of Khamenei. Analysts suggest he could potentially succeed the 85-year-old Supreme Leader. Raisi won the 2021 presidential election, which had the lowest turnout in Iran's history. He is sanctioned by the U.S. for his role in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988, at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.
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