Helicopter Carrying Iranian President Crashes Near Azerbaijani Border

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was aboard a helicopter when it crashed on Sunday near East Azerbaijan region due to unknown reasons.

Raisi was traveling through the province of East Azerbaijan in Iran. According to State TV, the event occurred close to Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, around 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of Tehran, the capital of Iran.

In the early hours of Sunday, Raisi visited Azerbaijan to officially open a dam alongside President Ilham Aliyev. This is the third dam on the Aras River that the two countries have constructed.

Although operating a range of helicopters, getting spare parts for them is challenging for Iran due to international sanctions. Some of its military fleet still consists of pre-1979 Islamic Revolution aircraft.