International

The Iranian Army claims that it has located the helicopter in which Raisí was traveling

The Iranian Army claims that it has located the “exact” position of the helicopter in which the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisí, was traveling, thanks to a signal from the device and another from the mobile of one of the crew members.

“The exact location of the helicopter accident was identified,” said the commander of the army of East Azerbaijan, General Asghar Abbasqolizadeh, according to the official agency IRNA.

“Now we are going with all the military forces to the area and we hope to give good news,” Abbasqolizadeh added.

Previously, the vice president of executive affairs, Mohsen Mansouri, had stated that he had contacted on several occasions two passengers of the helicopter in which Raisí was traveling and that he had to make a forced landing in a mountainous area of the province of Eastern Azerbaijan.

Mansouri indicated that three helicopters left Tabriz, capital of the province of Eastern Azerbaijan, at 13:00 local time (11.30 GMT) and about 30 minutes later contact with the aircraft in which Raisí was traveling was lost.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Along with the president were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hosein Amir Abdolahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan, Malik Rahmati, and the leader of the Friday prayers of Tabriz, Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem.

After the loss of contact, a large device was launched that already has at least 65 rescue teams, but the operations have been affected by bad weather, rain and dense fog in the mountainous area where the incident has occurred, when it has already darkened in Iran, the Red Crescent reported.

Hundreds of people have gathered at the mausoleum of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashad to pray for the health of the Iranian president.

Iranian state television broadcast images of the prayers in the important mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth imam of the Shiites, located in Mashad, hometown of the 63-year-old president.

The parishioners prayed the “tawsassul”, which means invocation and is used to invoke something or someone before God, led by a cleric, according to the television.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

For his part, the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, calls for calm after hours of unsuccessful searches after the helicopter in which the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, was traveling, made a forced landing.

“The people of Iran should not worry, there will be no interruptions in the country’s functions,” Khamenei said in a meeting with the families of the members of the Revolutionary Guard in Tehran, the IRNA agency said.

The Iranian supreme leader called to pray for the health of the president and his companions, including the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hosein Amir Abdolahian.

“We hope that Almighty God will return the respected and honorable president and his companions into the arms of the nation. Everyone should pray for the health of this group of servants,” the religious begged.

The Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohamed Shia al Sudani, ordered several departments and the Iraqi Red Crescent to lend their capabilities to Iran to help find the helicopter in which the Iranian president was traveling.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The Iraqi Government said in a statement that Al Sudani ordered the Ministry of the Interior, the Iraqi Red Crescent and other competent authorities to “present the capabilities available to the Islamic Republic of Iran to help find the Iranian president’s helicopter, which disappeared in northern Iran.”

The note did not provide more details about the search device provided by Iraq, which borders Iran in the west.

Similarly, the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, was willing to help Iran in the search operation for the damaged helicopter in which its president, Ebrahim Raisí, was traveling, who is in unknown whereabouts.

“As a neighboring country, friend and brother, Azerbaijan is willing to offer any support,” Aliyev said on his social networks.
Aliyev, who prayed to Allah for the well-being of Raisi, met this morning with his Iranian counterpart to inaugurate a dam on the Aras River, a common border between the two countries.

As well as the Armenian authorities offered Iran their help in the search operation for the damaged helicopter.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“Armenia, as a close and friendly neighbor of Iran, is willing to offer all the necessary support,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In addition, Russia and several Arab countries announced their willingness to provide Iran with the necessary assistance to search for the helicopter and investigate the accident.

On the other hand, the Houthi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the department follows “with great concern the unfortunate news about the helicopter accident that transported the Iranian president and his loyal companions.”

The European Union (EU) activated at Iran’s request the Copernicus map system, designed to respond to emergencies, to help locate the crashed helicopter.

“After the request for assistance made by Iran, we are activating the Copernicus rapid response map service in view of the helicopter accident that allegedly transported the Iranian president and his Minister of Foreign Affairs,” European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, announced on social network X.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, also said in X that he is “following closely” together with the EU member countries and their partners all the information that comes around this event.

For its part, Turkey sent a team of 32 rescue expert mountaineers to Iran to help in the search.

“Iran has asked our country, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a rescue helicopter with night vision,” the Turkish public emergency service, AFAD, says in a message in X.

From the Turkish provinces of Van and Erzurum, in the east of the country, six vehicles have already left with 32 rescue experts on the mountain to go to the search area, AFAD adds.

In addition, 15 other rescue mountaineers are prepared in several Turkish cities to intervene as well, the message says.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”