It is being reported that a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has crashed.

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed while visiting a northern region and his condition is currently unknown, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported Sunday.

The aircraft, which was also carrying Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, came down in East Azerbaijan Province and emergency crews have so far been unable to reach it due to foggy conditions, IRNA said. It is unclear what the exact status is of Raisi’s helicopter.

Twenty rescue teams and drones have been sent to the area where the helicopter came down.

Given how extremely foggy the conditions are, I’m not sure how the drones will be of use until the fog lifts. One has to wonder why the flight even took off given how the conditions were and are. 

The reports have been saying either ‘hard landing’ or crash. It depends upon who is doing the reporting. 

Currently no one knows if Raisi is alive and/or injured, or dead. Likewise with the rest of those on board including the Foreign Minister. 

Raisi himself has quite the history in Iran. 

Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary.

He is viewed as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.

Raisi won Iran’s 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history.

Raisi is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war.

Under Raisi, Iran now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections.

Not only that, but during Raisi’s reign, Iran has continued to support terrorists around the world. Including Hamas and the Houthis. Would Raisi’s death change any of that? I highly doubt it given Iran has been supporting terrorists for decades. 

Many Iranians would rejoice at his death. 

As a young man, Ebrahim Raisi sentenced thousands of innocent Iranians to execution.

He was known as the hang man and butcher of Tehran. Now he's the hangman of the whole nation.

If Raisi is confirmed dead, millions will celebrate across Iran. pic.twitter.com/7v5NZg9AYG

— Nioh Berg ♛ ✡︎ אסתר (@NiohBerg) May 19, 2024

The search and rescue efforts are even more hampered by the fact that night has fallen in Iran while the fog and rain continues. 

It’s now roughly 7:45pm and the Sun has now set in Northwestern Iran, that on top of the Terrible Weather Conditions and Fog are likely making Search-and-Rescue Operations for President Ebrahim Raisi’s Crash Site go even Slower. I think there is a possibility they won’t be able…

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 19, 2024

I’m sure, given how the Biden Administration has propped up Iran, that condolences will be sent and there may even be heated debate as to the optics of sending someone to represent the U.S. at his funeral if Raisi was indeed killed in the crash. It’s definitely plausible given how the Biden foreign policy has been run!

Also, this is a fair question!

My thoughts are with the @washingtonpost obituary team in this difficult time as they fiercely debate whether to call Ebrahim Raisi an “austere religious scholar”, a “patriotic anti-Zionist leader” or a “zealous anti-corruption crusader”.

— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) May 19, 2024

We will have to wait and see. 

Meanwhile, Khamenei, who selected Raisi for President, is now having to look at alternative choices should Raisi’s death be confirmed. 

A Significant Deployment of Iranian Security and Military Personnel has been noted across the Capital of Tehran, with Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to be taking up Positions near several Government Buildings. pic.twitter.com/xP0YNxWJkk

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 19, 2024

What should the U.S. and Israel do in the meantime? This is one suggestion. 

The Biden administration would be wise to launch a Maximum Support Campaign for the Iranian people during such a period. The Israelis would be wise to go on offense inside Iran (while also escalating against proxies) to turn the tables.

— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) May 19, 2024

The Biden Admin has been super supportive of the Iranian people in the past, right? That would be a NO. Not only that, but as I noted here, Raisi hadrefused to meet with Biden, but was touted as the savior of the Iran Deal. 

What Biden does next also depends upon past history with Raisi as well as the details of the very quiet discussions that took place in recent weeks.

Biden administration officials including the President’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk and the acting US envoy for Iran, Abram Paley, are part of the discussions tackling core issues with the country the US last year branded the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.

We definitely aren’t going to be sad if it is confirmed that Raisi was killed in the crash. What we are going to watch is what Iran will do next, how the Biden Administration reacts, and how it affects us all on the world stage. 

Feature Photo Credit: Ebrahim Raisi from Ali Khamenei website via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and modified