HELICOPTER CARRYING PRESIDENT EBRAHIM RAISI CRASHES, NOT YET FOUND

There are no reports about casualties or the condition of the president. The cause of the crash is also unknown.

“Given the complexities of the region, connection has been difficult, and we are hoping that the rescue teams reach the helicopter and can give us more information,” Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s interior minister, told state television.

The president was on an official visit to the province of Western Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. A delegation of ministers travelled with him in a convoy of three helicopters, with the two other aircraft already reaching their destinations.

The governor of the province was also in the helicopter, which crashed in an area called Varzaghan, according to state media.

If the president dies, according to Iranian law, power is transferred to the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, and an election must be called within six months.

This story is still developing.