A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi experienced a “hard landing” on Sunday, according to Iranian state media reports. Details about the incident remain sparse, but the media urged the public to pray for Raisi and the others on board as rescue teams rushed to the scene in a misty, rural forest where the helicopter was believed to have gone down.

The incident occurred while Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. Initial reports from state television placed the hard landing near Jolfa, a city close to the Azerbaijan border, approximately 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of Tehran. However, subsequent reports suggested the location was farther east, near the village of Uzi, leaving the exact details of the incident unclear.

This development comes at a particularly sensitive time for Iran. Under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country has recently launched a significant drone-and-missile attack on Israel and advanced its uranium enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels. Domestically, Iran has been grappling with widespread protests against its Shiite theocracy, driven by economic distress and demands for women’s rights. The geopolitical tensions are further compounded by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which has escalated regional instability.

The condition of President Raisi and others aboard the helicopter remains unknown as rescue efforts continue. The situation is being closely monitored both domestically and internationally, given the potential implications for Iran’s political and social landscape.

Credit: Aljazeera