1 of 1
- Spunky
- Moderator
Offline 
- Registered: 8/06/2015
- Posts: 12,366
Helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi crashes, state media says
- A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in a northern region of the country Sunday, according to state news agency IRNA. After hours of searching, rescuers have still not reached the crash site, despite determining its exact location thanks to aircraft signals.
- The crash comes at a fraught moment in the Middle East, with war raging in Gaza and weeks afterIran launched a drone-and-missile attack on Israel in response to a deadly strike on its diplomatic compound in Damascus.
- Hardliner Raisi became president in a historically uncompetitive election in 2021. Previously the chief justice, he has overseen a period of intensified repression of dissent in a nation convulsed by youth-led protests against clerical rule.
- Rescuers are contending with dense fog and extreme cold in the remote, mountainous East Azerbaijan Province. Nine people were onboard the helicopter, including country's foreign minister.
1 of 1
