Officials accompanying Iranian president in helicopter incident

The Iranian media reported Sunday that three officials were with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the plane that experienced an incident in the northeast of the country.

The Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, was among the key officials accompanying President Raisi.

The officials were identified as Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Foreign Minister, Malek Rahmati, Governor of East Azerbaijan Province, and Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, Imam in Tabriz Province.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, ordered an investigation into the helicopter incident involving President Ebrahim Raisi.

The search operations continued for the helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi when it encountered an "incident" in northwest Iran.

The state television reported that an "incident occurred with the helicopter carrying the president" in the Jolfa area of East Azerbaijan Province (west).

The Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, told the state television that the helicopter "performed a hard landing due to bad weather conditions," noting that "it is difficult to establish contact" with the aircraft.

The minister confirmed that search operations began to find the helicopter amidst "unfavorable weather conditions," including dense fog.

The minister added, "Reaching the helicopter's area may take some time," with the site located in the Dizmar forest near the city of Farzghan.

The state TV broadcasted footage of several Iranian Red Crescent personnel walking through dense fog.

However, the Tasnim News Agency reported that the two other helicopters "arrived at their destination safely."

The official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported that Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were among the helicopter's passengers.

The IRNA added that "more than 20 fully equipped rescue teams, including drones and rescue dogs, were dispatched."