According to state media, Iranian search and rescue teams are currently combing through a mist-covered mountainside following the disappearance of a helicopter transporting President Ebrahim Raisi. The incident, labeled as an "accident," occurred on Sunday, raising concerns for the 63-year-old ultraconservative leader. The helicopter, also carrying Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, lost contact in East Azerbaijan province. State television reported the incident in the Jolfa region of the western province, with some officials characterising it as a "hard landing." Severe weather conditions and dense fog have hampered rescue efforts, complicating access to the crash site, as stated by one state broadcaster.
In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia, regional rivals, surprised many by signing a deal that restored diplomatic relations.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia expressed "great concern" after the incident, offering assistance in response.
The foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia, a long-standing rival of Iran, stated, "We affirm that the Kingdom stands by the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran in these difficult circumstances and its readiness to provide any assistance that the Iranian agencies need."
The war in Gaza, which erupted on October 7, escalated regional tensions once again. A series of retaliatory actions ensued, culminating in Tehran launching hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April 2024.
Stated on Sunday's dam inauguration, Raisi emphasised Iran's support for Palestinians, a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"We credible that Palestine is the first issue of the Muslim world, and we are convinced that the people of Iran and Azerbaijan always support the people of Palestine and Gaza and hate the Zionist regime," said Raisi.
Raisi, born in 1960 in northeast Iran's holy city of Mashhad, served as Tehran's prosecutor-general from 1989 to 1994, deputy chief of the Judicial Authority for a decade from 2004, and then national prosecutor-general in 2014.
His black turban signifies direct descent from the Prophet Mohammed, and the speech in media has referred to him by the senior title of ayatollah in the Shiite clerical hierarchy.
Just a reminder, my training data only goes up until January 2022, so I can't provide information on any events or designations that have occurred since then. If you have any questions within that time-frame, feel free to ask!
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