Russia to deploy specialized team to assist Iran in finding President Raisi’s crashed helicopter

Russia has announced it will assist Iran in locating the crash site of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Russia will deploy a 50-member specialist rescue team to the mountainous region where the helicopter is believed to have crashed. However, at this time, officials fear that the Iranian president is already dead. Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked the "numerous" nations that have come forward to help them in their rescue efforts. "The Islamic Republic of Iran sincerely thanks the numerous governments, nations, and international organizations for their expressions of human emotion and solidarity with the government and people of Iran, as well as their offers of help and assistance for the search and rescue operation," the Minister's office said in a statement.

Iranian rescue teams have struggled to locate the helicopter due to adverse weather conditions and heavy fog in the rugged terrain. The difficulty in finding the crash site has delayed rescue efforts. The Iranian military reportedly received signals from the crash site and a mobile phone earlier in the day.

The cooperation comes amid ongoing support from Iran to Russia, providing weapons and military aid for Russia's war in Ukraine.

President Raisi was returning from a dam inauguration at the Iran-Azerbaijan border when his helicopter, part of a convoy, went missing. While two of the three helicopters in the convoy returned safely, the one carrying Raisi reportedly crash-landed.