{"id":16773,"date":"2024-05-19T16:33:21","date_gmt":"2024-05-19T15:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedailyleaks.com\/?p=16773"},"modified":"2024-05-19T16:33:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-19T15:33:21","slug":"helicopter-carrying-irans-president-raisi-crashes-in-mountains-official-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedailyleaks.com\/helicopter-carrying-irans-president-raisi-crashes-in-mountains-official-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Helicopter carrying Iran’s President Raisi crashes in mountains, official says"},"content":{"rendered":"
-A helicopter carrying Iranian President\u00a0Ebrahim Raisi<\/a><\/span><\/span> and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog on the way back from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n The official speaking with Reuters<\/a> said the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were “at risk following the helicopter crash.”<\/p>\n “We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n The bad weather was complicating rescue efforts, the state news agency IRNA reported.<\/p>\n State TV stopped all its regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country and, in a corner of the screen, live coverage of rescue teams searching the mountainous area on foot in heavy fog.<\/p>\n The 63-year-old was elected president at the second attempt in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.<\/p>\n In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is the supreme leader rather than the president who has the final say on all major policies.<\/p>\n But many see Raisi as a strong contender to succeed his 85-year-old mentor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has strongly endorsed Raisi’s main policies.<\/p>\n Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi told state TV only that one of the helicopters in a group of three had come down hard, and that authorities were awaiting further details.<\/p>\n Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalaisi Dam, a joint project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" -A helicopter carrying Iranian President\u00a0Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog on the way back from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan. The […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2,7],"tags":[369,1348,1925],"coauthors":[25],"class_list":{"0":"post-16773","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news","8":"category-top-news","9":"category-world","10":"tag-helicopter","11":"tag-iran","12":"tag-president-ebrahim-raisi"},"yoast_head":"\n