The helicopter carrying the Iranian president was found in a crash

The condition of President Raisi and Foreign Minister is still 'unknown'.

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According to the Red Cross, the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi has crashed. The Iranian Red Cross Society reported that the rescue and search team found the helicopter carrying President Raisi in an accident.

The helicopter carrying the Iranian president was found in a crash

Speaking to the Iranian media, the president of the Iranian Red Cross Society, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said that the pieces of the helicopter had been found. But he has not given full information about it. Quoting his statement, Iranian news agency wrote , 'The situation is not good .' Earlier, the Red Cross said smoke was seen in two places . Although the helicopter was found, nothing has been revealed about the condition of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hussain Amir Abdullahiyan. It is said that there are 9 people including President Raisi and Foreign Minister along with the Governor of East Azerbaijan Province in the helicopter.

According to Iranian news agency, President Raisi was leaving for the city of Tabrez after inaugurating a dam in East Azerbaijan province. The Iranian news agency also reported that rescue operations were difficult due to thick fog. It is mentioned in the news that there were 3 helicopters with President Raisi on board, but 2 helicopters landed safely.

The local media reported that the helicopter carrying President Raisi made a force landing. But it has not been independently confirmed. There is no clear information about President Raisi's condition yet. Raisi was elected president of Iran in 2021.

^{Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi riding a helicopter. File photo: Reuters}

Raisi, 63, who has close ties to the judicial and religious elite, is also seen as a potential successor to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi also became a candidate for the presidency in 2017. But he was defeated by Hassan Rouhani .

Raisi was involved in a case where political prisoners were punished. America has imposed sanctions against him. In Iran, the presidency is second in rank after the Supreme Leader. But the president has a significant influence on the internal and external affairs of the country. Raisi has played the role of prosecutor for most of his professional career. He was appointed head of the judiciary in 2019, two years after losing the 2017 election to President Hassan Rouhani by a wide margin.

Reisi has been criticized by human rights activists for his significant role in the mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s. However, Iran has been saying that it has never carried out mass executions.