Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter went down near the border with Azerbaijan. He was flying with other senior officials.
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An Iranian official told state-run media that the lives of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian are "at risk" following a crash of the president's helicopter on Sunday.
"We are still hopeful, but information coming from the crash site is very concerning," the official said.
Iranian state media reported that the helicopter had "crashed upon landing," without providing further details.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said Raisi was returning from a ceremony to open a dam on Iran's border with Azerbaijan when his helicopter was forced to make a "hard landing."
The incident is believed to have occurred near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, some 375 miles northwest of Tehran, Iran's capital.
In addition to the president and the foreign minister, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, Malik Rahmati, and other officials were also on board the helicopter, IRNA reported.
If Raisi is not found alive, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will take his place, and new elections will be held within the next 50 days, according to state media reports.
State TV abandoned its regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across Iran, Reuters reported.
One local government official used the word "crash" to describe the incident, but he told an Iranian newspaper that he had yet visited the site himself, the Associated Press reported.
State media did not provide any information on Raisi's condition or the other officials on board the helicopter.
The harsh weather conditions and heavy fog have complicated the efforts of rescue teams, who arrived at the crash site an hour after the incident occurred, IRNA reports.
Video footage from the crash site reveals the state of the weather conditions.
UPDATE - First images of #Iran president's helicopter's area of crash landing, weather conditions unfavourable for flying, search and rescue efforts underway. https://t.co/UMQ1tVZzw0 pic.twitter.com/uCJZyQsH78
— Nagorno Karabakh Observer (@NKobserver) May 19, 2024
Raisi, 63, had been traveling in Iran's East Azerbaijan province for the inauguration of the Qizqalaasi dam on the Aras river, which runs along Iran's border with Azerbaijan.
The hardline president is seen as a favorite of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Many see Raisi as a strong contender to succeed his 85-year-old mentor, Reuters reported.
He is sanctioned by the US, in part because of his role in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.
Last month, Iran launched more than 300 drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles at Israel.
This is a breaking news story.
