Gulf countries on Sunday, May 19, voiced “great concern” after a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian state-run news agencies announced that a helicopter carrying the country’s president and his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and a number of officials had made an “emergency landing” in a rugged mountainous area in East Azerbaijan province, amid difficulties facing the search for it.
The accident occurred near the city of Julfa, located on the border with Azerbaijan, about 600 kilometers northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
The helicopter was part of a convoy consisting of “three helicopters, where two helicopters carrying some ministers and officials arrived safely at their destination,” Tasnim News Agency reported.
Iranian News Agency (IRNA) confirmed that the search and rescue operation will take time due to the inability to cross the area and its mountainous and forest conditions, in addition to bad weather conditions, especially dense fog.
In a statement, Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Kingdom’s government is following “with great concern” what was reported in the media regarding Raisi’s plane.
The ministry affirmed, “The Kingdom stands with the Iranian authorities in these difficult circumstances, and its readiness to provide any assistance it needs.”
UAE, Qatar, Kuwait have also released statements offering similar support.