Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian have been on board of the helicopter that suffered a “hard landing” in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, says Iranian state media.
Adverse weather conditions, including heavy fog, are hampering rescue efforts and the helicopter is still missing.
The helicopter crashed close to a copper mine called Sungun. It’s located in between Jolfa and Varzaqan in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran and it’s roughly between 70km (43 miles) to 100km (62 miles) away from the city of Tabriz, one of the largest cities in Iran and also the city that the president of Iran and foreign minister were headed toward.
The Iranian Red Crescent says they have deployed 40 separate teams to the region… as of now the teams arrived to the area, however not to the specific spot where the helicopter just crashed. The reason for that they say, is the harsh weather conditions.
Government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said Mohammad Mokhber had travelled to Tabriz along with other members of the government.
Jahromi added that a government cabinet meeting has been held, with the latest reports on the missing helicopter presented.
A spokesperson for the US State Department says the United States is watching reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister.
The White House added that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident.
Iran and the US have had tense relations for years, particularly following the US’s unilateral withdrawal from a nuclear deal with Tehran in 2018.
