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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash, as confirmed by Iranian state media on Monday. The crash also claimed the lives of the Iranian minister of foreign affairs and others onboard, prompting an emergency meeting within Raisi’s administration following the news of his death.
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The helicopter carrying President Raisi and other officials crashed on Sunday as it traveled through rainy and foggy conditions in the rural mountainous area near Kalibar and Warzghan in northern Iran, near the borders with Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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The Red Crescent confirmed earlier Monday that it had located the missing helicopter carrying Raisi, which had initially been said to have made a “hard landing.”
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Search and rescue operations were launched not long after the incident happened, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
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In a phone interview on Monday with the state TV news program, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the U.S. sanctions on Iranian aviation were one of the main reasons for the crash.
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Two hot spots were identified in the village of Tawal by a Turkish drone sent to help with rescue efforts, IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, reported early Monday local time.
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President Joe Biden was briefed on the Iranian president’s helicopter incident, and the State Department was closely following reports of the incident, according to a spokesperson on Sunday.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he was sending 50 rescuers, two planes, and one helicopter to Iran to help in the search.
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The first reports of trouble with Raisi’s helicopter, one of three in a convoy carrying the Iranian officials, began to circulate on state-affiliated media on Sunday at around 3:45 p.m. local time.
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Initially, 40 search-and-rescue teams had been sent to the area, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent announced to state media.
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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, issued a statement Sunday asking people to pray that Raisi and the others are found safe.
Source:
AC