al jazeera· Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were on board the helicopter that crashed in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, Iranian state media outlets say.
· Rescuers say they found the helicopter, but there are “no signs” of survivors at the crash site.
· Iran’s Fars News Agency has called on Iranians to pray for President Raisi.
· Countries across the Middle East express solidarity with Iran and concern for Raisi’s safety.
by Katrina Yu
News of the helicopter crash involving Iranian President Raisi is a top trending item in China and the Chinese social media. People are watching this very closely.
China’s Foreign Ministry released a statement earlier on Monday morning saying that Chinese officials are deeply concerned about the situation, and wished Raisi and all those on board the helicopter the best. They also vowed to provide any support to Iran as needed.
For China, Raisi’s condition and Iran are very important. China considers Iran a strategic partner and a non-official key ally.
Raisi visited Beijing last February 2023, and since he’s been in office he has moved Iran closer to China.
The Biden administration in the US has also acknowledged Beijing’s significant influence in Tehran, and they have asked Chinese officials to use that influence to pressure Iran to stop some of the actions the US considers as provocative.
There still hasn’t been a reaction to the latest report that we are learning of the discovery of the helicopter carrying President Raisi.
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on this as the search was ongoing hours ago. He has been kept abreast of these developments as have US officials.
They have been very keen to show restraint in speculation as to what the fate of President Raisi is.
The US has really not issued any sort of formal statement, clearly telling reporters that there are no other details to share at this moment.
As we wait for imminent news of what President Raisi’s fate is – to emerge from Iran – we would expect US officials to react to that in the coming hours.
Iranian President Raisi and the officials accompanying him are feared dead after the Red Crescent says it has found “no signs of the helicopter’s occupants being alive” at the crash site.
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
These soldiers are from a country whose president is a Jew Zelensky. Orthodox churches are also being destroyed in this country. Synagogues are not touched. Surprisingly, it turns out that Jews get along well with the Bandera Nazis.