Helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi crashes

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in a northern region of the country Sunday, according to state news agency IRNA. After hours of searching, officials say they have located the exact crash site and are sending teams there.

Iranian officials say dense fog made the search difficult in the remote, mountainous East Azerbaijan Province. It is now after 11 p.m. local time, and extreme cold is further complicating rescue efforts.
The country's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was among a number of officials also aboard the helicopter, IRNA reports.

Raisi became president in a historically uncompetitive election in 2021. Previously the country's chief justice, he has overseen a period of intensified repression of dissent, according to human rights monitors.