Survivor or deceased? Iranians were plunged into uncertainty on Sunday over the fate of President Ebrahim Raïssi, as searches continue to locate his helicopter which disappeared in a mountainous region in the northwest of the country. Some television channels changed their programs to follow the difficult developments of the rescue services which had not found the helicopter in the province of East Azerbaijan by mid-evening.
They alternated between images of searches in the fog and those of Iranians praying in various mosques, particularly in the holy city of Mashhad (east), Raisi’s hometown. They also showed images, filmed in the morning, showing Mr. Raïssi, 63, inaugurating a dam in the company of his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliev, on the border between the two countries.
VIDEO. Iran: President’s fate uncertain after helicopter accident
Questioned in the center of Tehran, a private sector employee, Hadi, told AFP that he was “deeply saddened” by this accident whose “cause is still unknown”. Mr. Raïssi “is one of the servants of the people and we hope that he and his companions are found in good health,” added this 37-year-old man.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi explained that the long wait was due to the difficult search conditions in “a steep and wooded area”, “under heavy rain” and “with very limited visibility”. “We hope that with prayers we will reach the accident site as quickly as possible,” he added.
Do not worry “
The main authority of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on Iranians to “pray” and “hope that God will bring the president and his companions back into the arms of the Nation”. “The Iranian people should not worry, there will be no disruption in the administration of the country,” added the Supreme Leader.
On social networks, widely used by Iranians of all ages, the accident quickly became the main topic of discussion. Mr. Vahidi urged the population to get information “only from state television.” “People should not listen to information relayed by channels (hostile to the Islamic Republic), we keep them informed of all news through television,” he said, referring to channels broadcast from the Islamic Republic. foreign like BBC Farsi or Iran International.
Vakili, a 29-year-old journalist, spoke of her “feeling of fear.” “It’s a strange feeling that we felt before with Haj Qassem Soleimani,” she said. She was referring to the shock of the announcement of the death of the powerful general, architect of Iranian military operations in the Middle East, who was killed in January 2020 by an American strike in Iraq. “I hope they are well and that they will be found,” hoped the young woman.
Mr. Raïssi was on board the helicopter in the company of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the governor of the province and the main imam of the region, according to the Irna agency.
