Seventeen hours between the loss of Ibrahim Raisi's helicopter and its discovery continue to raise questions. The New York Times revealed new details about what happened during these hours. The story began at 1 PM when Raisi's helicopter took off with two other helicopters, but after half an hour, it disappeared.
As the search operation commenced, government officials began concerted efforts to protect the country from potential threats from abroad, as well as internal unrest. According to the newspaper, the military was placed on high alert. Tehran also controlled media coverage of the incident, managing the flow of information by banning any mention of the president's death.
Simultaneously, security agents in civilian clothing were deployed on the streets of Tehran and other major cities to prevent protests. Regarding the precise location of the helicopter's crash, it remained elusive, prompting Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to call for an emergency meeting of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council at his home. During this meeting, he advised members to maintain order and demonstrate strength, according to a member of the Revolutionary Guard and a government official.
The New York Times also reported that rescue teams walked to the crash site; however, the first to arrive were volunteer motorcyclists. There, the charred bodies of Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian were discovered, before identifying the president's body by his ring and the foreign minister's by his watch.
