Iranian president and foreign minister's lives 'at risk', Reuters reports

An Iranian official informed Reuters that the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian are "under threat."

Raisi was en route to the East Azerbaijan province of Iran, accompanied by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

TRT reported that Raisi's helicopter departed from Julfa, near the Azerbaijan border, approximately 600 km from Tehran. Earlier, Raisi had attended the opening of the Khudaferin and Giz Galasy hydroelectric complexes on the Araz River with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Tasnim News Agency clarified that three helicopters were part of the president’s motorcade, with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rakhmati also onboard. Military, police, and Iranian Red Crescent Society personnel were dispatched to the scene.

Meanwhile, Ministers of Energy and Roads Ali Akbar Mehrabian and Mehrdad Bazrpash, traveling in a separate helicopter, reached their destination safely.

Iranian Mehr News Agency initially reported that President Raisi survived a hard landing near the city of Verzegan, near the Iran-Azerbaijan border, and was "fine". However, Mehr later retracted this statement.

Approximately an hour after the incident, the search and rescue operation was temporarily halted due to adverse weather conditions at the presumed crash site.

It's worth noting that Iran faces significant challenges in procuring spare parts for helicopters and aircraft due to international sanctions.