A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, and other officials crashed in a foggy, mountainous region in northwest Iran on Sunday. This incident triggered a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest, with the public urged to pray for those involved.
The crash occurred amid heightened tensions in Iran. Under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel last month and enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Additionally, Iran has faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy over an ailing economy and women’s rights, adding to the sensitivity of this moment as the Israel-Hamas war inflames the wider Middle East.
Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV reported a “hard landing” near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of Tehran. Later reports placed the crash site farther east near the village of Uzi, though details remained contradictory.