A helicopter allegedly carrying Iran's president, Ebrahim Raisi, reportedly made an "emergency landing" on Sunday, as reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), which did not provide further details immediately.
At the moment, the extent of the incident and the health status of Raisi, who was accompanied by a delegation of high-ranking officials from his government, are unknown.
The state television indicated that the area of the incident was near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, about 600 kilometers northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
It has not been revealed whether the president of Iran was on the crashed helicopter, as the wrecked vehicle was part of a convoy of three. So far, the Iranian press has not provided further details on what happened.
Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early on Sunday to inaugurate with the president of that country, Ilham Aliyev, the third dam that the two nations are building on the Aras River.
Everything indicates that the bad weather conditions forced the helicopter to make an emergency landing. Despite the quick reaction of the rescue services, IRNA reports that the fog is preventing the rescue from being carried out successfully.
On social media, the Castroite spokesperson known as El Necio has shown caution in the face of the lack of information coming from Iran at the moment.
Although there are few reports indicating that the President of Iran is well and being transferred by land, there is still no confirmation of the current status of the President. The information is very confusing, and therefore the investigation is ongoing. Let's hope.
El Necio also posted on Twitter what would be the first images of what he called "a search operation to find the helicopter where the president of Iran was traveling."
Iran flies a variety of helicopters in the country, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them. Its military air fleet also largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to the AP agency.
Raisi, 63 years old, is a hardline man who previously led the country's judiciary.
He is considered a protégé of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and some analysts have suggested that he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation.
Until the closing of this note, there are no further details about the incident.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: