TEHRAN - A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a “hard landing” on Sunday during a visit to the country’s northwest, the national TV reported.

The incident occurred as a result of dense fog in the region, which is making conditions difficult for search and rescue teams, the TV said. 

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the governor of East Azarbaijan province, and the Friday prayer leader of Tabriz were also aboard the copter.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed worry about the incident and wished health for the president. He also called on the Iranian people not to be worried about the incident, saying no disruption would be created in the management of the country.

Also, former President Hassan Rouhani, in a post on X, wished health for President Raisi and his accompanying delegation, saying he sincerely hopes that the president will "return to the nation's arms".

Dozens of search and rescue teams have been dispatched to the forested and mountainous area, where the helicopter crashed. 

According to Razieh Alishvandi, an official with the Red Crescent Society, four special rescue teams have reached close to the site where the incident happened. However, she said, due to rainfall, cold weather, and the mountainous geography the search operation is time-consuming.

Babak Mahmoudi, the chief of the rescue operation of the Red Crescent Society, also told ISNA that after hours rescuers had reached close to the “supposed site”.

Raisi was traveling in East Azarbaijan province. The incident happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of Tehran.

Raisi had been in East Azarbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Ilham Aliyev, the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

According to the TV, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has said the helicopter was forced to make a "hard emergency landing" due to the bad weather condition. 

Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, has ordered the Army, the IRGC and the Police to use all their capacities to help find the helicopter that was carrying the president and the accompanying team.

Foreigners react to the helicopter incident, offer help 

Foreign governments have reacted to the news that the helicopter carrying President Raisi and his foreign minister was forced to make a hard landing in mountain terrain in northwestern Iran.

President of the European Council Charles Michel reacted to the incident in a post on X, saying, "Following closely reports that the helicopter carrying the Iranian President and the foreign minister has been forced to land unexpectedly and their condition not yet clear." 

He added, "Together with EU member states and partners, we are monitoring the situation closely."

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Palestinian Hamas Political Bureau, said the movement's thoughts are with the brotherly Iranian nation.

He prayed for the well-being of the president, foreign minister and others onboard the helicopter.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev also expressed deep concern over the report. He voiced Baku's readiness to provide all forms of support in the rescue and research operation.

In a post on its X, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is shocked by the news coming from Iran.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with President Raisi, Minister Amir Abdollahian and all others reported to be at the site," it added.

Armenia also said as a close and friendly neighbor of Iran it is ready to provide all necessary support for search and rescue operations.

The U.S. State Department said it was “closely following reports of a possible hard landing of a helicopter in Iran carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister.”

It added: “We have no further comment at this time."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took to X to express his concerns about the incident and extend his good wishes to President Raeisi.

“Waiting with great anxiety for good news that all is well,” he wrote.

"Our prayers and best wishes are with President Raeisi and the entire Iranian nation.”

In a post on X, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said he was “deeply concerned” about the news of the crash and expressed his wishes for the Iranian president and foreign minister.

“My heartfelt prayers & good wishes for the well-being & safety of President Raeisi so that he may continue to serve the Iranian nation," he posted.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani also offered neighboring Iran help in search and rescue efforts.

Sudani “instructed the interior ministry, the Iraqi Red Crescent and other relevant authorities to offer the Islamic Republic of Iran the available resources to aid in the search for the Iranian president’s aircraft,” government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement, according to Press TV.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid also said on his X account that he has held a phone conversation with Iran's Ambassador to Baghdad Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq to be informed about the latest developments surrounding the incident.

He expressed his country's support and readiness to provide all possible assistance in the search operation.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his deep concern over reports regarding the Iranian president's helicopter crash.

"We stand in solidarity with the Iranian people in this hour of distress, and pray for the well-being of the president and his entourage," he wrote.

Saudi Arabia expressed grave concern over the media reports.

"At a time when we supplicate God Almighty to safeguard the president and those accompanying him with his protection and care, we reaffirm that Saudi Arabia stands by the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran in these difficult circumstances,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

It announced Riyadh's readiness to provide "any assistance that the Iranian agencies needed."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was "profoundly saddened" at news of the helicopter accident, and offered "all necessary support" to the search.

"We are following the incident closely, are in contact and in coordination with the Iranian authorities and we are ready to provide all necessary support," Erdogan posted on X.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansar expressed his deep concern over the incident and prayed for the wellbeing of the Iranian president and his accompanying delegation.

He also announced the readiness of the Qatari government to assist in search and rescue operations.

Janez Lenarcic, the head of humanitarian aid and crisis management at the European Commission, said in a post on X that upon the Iranian request for assistance, the commission is activating a satellite mapping service given the helicopter accident.

And Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, is following updates on the crash. "He hopes for the safety of the president and his entourage," a UN spokesperson said in a statement

Chief diplomats from African countries have also expressed worry about the fate of the Iranian president.

Among them are foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Sierra Leone; foreign ministry officials from South Africa, Gambia, Senegal, and Ethiopia and the representative of the African Union, as well as Shia religious scholars.

According to Nova News, U.S. President Joe Biden was also summoned to the White House for an urgent briefing following reports of the accident involving the helicopter carrying the president of Iran.