Iranian President’s Chief of Staff on Tuesday provided insight into the helicopter crash that claimed the late president’s life earlier in the week, defining the exact moment connection was lost with the presidential helicopter.

During an interview on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), Gholam Hussein Ismaili recounted the sequence of events leading up to the incident.

“After the Dhuhr prayer, we set off towards Tabriz, the weather was clear, and there were no concerns over the weather condition,” Ismaili said, adding that approximately thirty minutes into the flight, just before reaching the Sungun Copper Mine, they encountered a small cloud.

“There was fog on the ground, but not in the air where we were advancing with the helicopters,” he added.

Ismaili explained that only in a small area clouds matched the altitude of their aircraft.

Gholam then detailed the critical moment when the main helicopter carrying late President Ebrahim Raisi went missing, stating, “as the helicopters ascended above the cloud cover at the pilot's directive, concerns arose when the main helicopter carrying President Raisi was reported missing.”

He described the distress that ensued when communication with the main helicopter was abruptly lost.

Efforts to regain contact proved futile, despite multiple attempts, Gholam noted.

That lasted until Ayatollah Hashem, Friday Prayer Imam in Tabriz, “answered a call and conveyed alarming news without divulging specifics,” he said.

In closing, the Chief of Staff's narrative painted a vivid picture of the events preceding the helicopter crash, he underscored the swift and collaborative response efforts amid the unfolding crisis.

As investigations continue, the nation mourns the loss of President Ebrahim Raisi.

The Iranian General Staff of the Armed Forces Mohammad Hossein Bagheri on Wednesday said that, following the tragic helicopter crash involving Raisi and his delegation, search operations commenced due to adverse weather conditions and the rugged terrain of the region.

Despite cooperation from Turkey's deployment of a drone equipped with night vision and thermal cameras, the drone failed to accurately locate the crash site due to the lack of equipment for detecting points under cloud cover, Bagheri said.

Ultimately, ground rescue forces, aided by Iranian drones equipped with advanced SAR radar, successfully located the crash site in the early hours of Monday morning.

President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, along with his companions, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and others, died in a helicopter crash in the Jolfa region of East Azerbaijan province on Monday.

As per the Iranian constitution, elections must be held within 50 days following Raisi's death, with Vice President Mohammad Mokhber assuming the presidency in the interim.

Iraqi and Kurdish leaders conveyed condolences to Iran for the helicopter crash that killed President Raisi and officials, expressing sympathy and declaring a day of mourning in Iraq.