A helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran crashed on Sunday in a remote part of the country, according to Iranian state media, prompting a massive search-and-rescue operation amid bad weather and heavy fog.
Mr. Raisi, 63, was elected in 2021 and has long been a prominent figure in Iran. As president, he oversees all of the work of the government and is the second most powerful individual in Iran’s political structure after the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It was not immediately known what caused the crash of the helicopter, which was also carrying Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
State television did not report on any casualties or the condition of the president, but it urged the public to pray for the safety of Mr. Raisi and those who were traveling with him. The president’s official website also posted a message requesting prayers, and clerics at two of Iran’s major Shia shrines in Qum and Mashhad led public services.
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The crash comes at a delicate moment for international relations, just days after senior American and Iranian officials held talks through intermediaries to try to tamp down the threat of a wider conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. State Department said it was closely following the reports about the crash, and the White House said President Biden has been briefed.
