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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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