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Massive search underway after Iran President Ebrahim Raisi’s \nhelicopter crash: Live updates

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Massive search underway after Iran President Ebrahim Raisi’s \nhelicopter crash: Live updates

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The lives of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister were feared to be in jeopardy after their helicopter crashed Sunday in heavy fog in a mountainous area following a visit to the country’s northwest border, prompting a massive search and rescue effort.

“We are still hopeful, but information coming from the crash site is very concerning,” an official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters.

Darkness and rainy, muddy conditions made it difficult for rescuers to reach the incident site, Iranian state media reported. The chief of staff of Iran’s army ordered all the resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guard to be put to use in the search and rescue operations, Reuters reported.

Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and the rest of their team were returning to a trip to the border with Azerbaijan for the inauguration of a dam when the crash occurred. Raisi, 63, is second only to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the country’s political hierarchy. The hard-liner has long being considered a strong candidate to succeed Khamenei, his 85-year-old mentor.

The rescue teams were expected to reach the site of the crash later Sunday evening, state TV reported.

The incident comes at a turbulent moment for Iran, the main supporter of anti-Israeli militia groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Last month, Iran took the unprecedented step of sending a barrage of missiles and drones into Israeli territory − an attack largely repelled with the help of U.S. forces − in retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian general and other military officials at the Iranian embassy in Syria, a strike widely attributed to Israel.

The U.S. has been making concerted efforts to keep the Israel-Hamas war from escalating into a regional conflict, most recently sending national security adviser Jake Sullivan on a weekend trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel.

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Developments:

∎ Khamenei tried to appease public concerns in a statement, saying: “We hope that God returns the honorable president and his companions to the arms of the nation. All must pray for the health of this group of civil servants. The Iranian nation must not be concerned or worried; there will be no disruption in the work of the country.”

∎ President Joe Biden has been briefed on the helicopter crash, White House press secretary Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One. The State Department said it is “closely following reports” of the incident.

∎ Several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Russia, have offered to help with search and rescue efforts. The European Union said it activated its satellite mapping service to lend assistance at Iran’s request.

∎ Raisi and the rest of his traveling party were flying in a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter with capacity for 15 people, including crew, although it’s not clear how many were on board, Al Jazeera reported.

Raisi was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on antigovernment protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is the supreme leader rather than the president who has the final say on all major policies. Khamenei has strongly endorsed Raisi’s main policies.

Raisi’s victory in a closely managed election in 2021 brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners, after eight years when the presidency had been held by pragmatist Hassan Rouhani, who negotiated a nuclear deal with Obama administration officials.

However, Raisi’s standing may have been dented by widespread protests against clerical rule and a failure to turn around Iran’s economy, hamstrung by Western sanctions.

Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border for the opening of the Qiz-Qalaisi Dam, a joint project.

Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi told state TV only that one of the helicopters in a group of three had come down in the incident, and that authorities were awaiting further details.

If an Iranian president dies in office, the first vice president takes over, with the confirmation of the supreme leader, who has the final say in all matters of state, according to article 131 of the Islamic Republic’s constitution

A council consisting of the first vice president, the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary must arrange a election for a new president within a maximum period of 50 days, the constitution says.

Contributing: Reuters

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