Helicopters that were in this aerial convoy and only one of them crashed. But yes, it was carrying the president. It was carrying the Foreign Minister hossein amir of the law at least three crew members, the governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province. Thats again where the ceremony had been taking place on the border with azerbaijan is separate country. Of course and then the friday prayer, imam who leads the friday prayers in the city of tabriz. Thats the Major Metropolitan Center in that part of iran paula, i have done a road trip through this part of iran to the border, to turkey from tehran and i can personally attest to the fact that this area is rugged. It is very sparsely populated as well. We perhaps explain why you would have such a high level delegation traveling by helicopter because any kind of trip by road would have taken hours and hours and also been on potentially the dangerous roads. But this is a rugged and remote place and an indicator of perhaps why the iranian authorities had to turn to turkey to ask for help. Bringing a drone in to look for the whereabouts. Of their own president yeah. It seems that bringing in that equipment, in fact, it helped to at least locate what they suspect is the site of the crash. For those of us who are just joining us, im paula newton at cnn under ivan watson is with us from hong kong. We want to bring you the Breaking News now and remind you that rescuers have now reached the site of that crash that was apparently carrying the president of iran, but also the Foreign Minister and seven other people. We are awaiting for more news. Just to see what was found on that search. Apparently they did find this site on foot. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of rescuers really trying to scour this very sparsely populated area, rugged as ivan just mentioned, with a terrible conditions, cold temperature theres dense fog and we will obviously remind everyone that the sun is just coming up in that area of orawn. And no doubt that will also help them right now in their Rescue Efforts. I mean, ive and i want to turn now to what we had mentioned before, the fact that in fact the Supreme Leader made a point of coming on television and addressing or radians quite quickly. And his words were that there would be no disruption, but certainly this is coming as quite a shock to everyone in iran at this hour thats right. The Supreme Leader, ali, come in i, ii, and iran system of government. The president is elected but the most powerful figure in the country is without question, the Supreme Leader ali, come in e, and there had long been rumors and speculation that in fact the president Ebrahim Raisi could potentially be a candidate to one day replace how many in that position. So that gives you a sense of his seniority and stature within the Islamic Republic of iran. But the Supreme Leader how many 0s coming out with a Statement Calling for prayers for the safe return of the president and his companions, but also going on to say, Quote Everyone should pray for the health of this group of servants. The people of iran do not worry, there will be no disruption in the work of the country. So trying to project a message of stability to the people of iran and lets make no mistake. Its been a bumpy number of years. Any iran, there have been economic problems there have certainly been intense political upheaval since the 2022 death in Police Custody of the ronny and woman mahsa amini who that triggered an uprising for more than a year. And well crisis of legitimacy for the gulf government in the Islamic Republic of iran for the government, there. And the president has been seen very much as a hard he was elected in 2021 when there was very little opposition that real political opponents had been effectively disqualified from the election and historically the lowest Voter Participation rate in the history of the Islamic Republic of iran. So a polarizing figure inside the country. And there have already been signs on social media of iranians, of iranians in the iranian diaspora celebrating the news of the crash of this helicopters. So that just gives you a sense of how some people are reacting to what without question in any country would be a major sock to a Society Crash of an aircraft where the president of the country and the Foreign Minister, i might add and a regional governor. Were all on board. This aircraft were still waiting to hear exactly what the rescuers have seen on the ground there and in the meantime, polo, weve heard messages pouring in from governments around the world. Russia, for instance, as saying that it is rushing aircraft in rescuers to the area to help out with this. And in fact, the Iranian Ambassador to moscow, he reports that hes had a meeting with vladimir putin, at 10 00 p. M. Local time on sunday in moscow, which just kinda reflects a little bit about the importance that other World Leaders are putting in this eight also highlights the Partnership Ship between those two countries. Russia and iran. Im im just going to interrupt you there as we do have Breaking News Renown know from a reporting from Iranian State media that in fact, there were no survivors found at the crash site of that Helicopter Carrying not just president. I you see, but the Foreign Minister and seven others again, state media saying that in fact, no survivor first, were found at this site and ivan from the first moment that we heard about this crash, given the Weather Conditions and given the fact that there was no beacon, there was no alert. They they did not get any kind of signal of distress from this helicopter. Many feared the worst. And now were learning that there are no survivors aboard that helicopter this is enormous and tragic. News. Any iran of the loss of the president of the country, of the countrys most senior diplomat of a governor of a senior cleric. And of course, the crew members on that aircraft nine people onboard there has been conflicting information. Paula, in the frantic search and Rescue Effort because there were officials, the Vice President of the country, no less, who were saying that they had been getting some kind of messages from at least two people on board the aircraft and i guess well have to wait and see that have been just conflicting information or not. But i think without question, the headline here is the death now of the president of iran it bring him raisi elected in controversial elections in 2021. And perceived as a hard liner in the spectrum. If Iranian Politics, the most senior diplomat in the country thats Foreign Minister hossein im Mere Abduh Lohan and at least seven other people were believed to have been on board the aircraft a question now, well turn to transition of power in the aftermath of this tragedy the Vice President of the country, who i think experts that ive talked to will argue that very few iranians actually know who this man is a man named muhammad mac bear and according to the iranian constitution he would then take the post of president in the country and then the constitution stipulates that in the next 50 days that a council, including this interim president and the speaker of parliament and the head of irans powerful Judiciary Barry that they would then have to set up elections for the next president. We also have to keep in mind, of course, in irans unique system of government, that the most powerful without question, figure in Iranian Politics is the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei Ii who has already come out in the aftermath of now deadly crash. To a valve that stability will continue in the Islamic Republic, moving forward, whatever may happen. But also calling for prayers for the Health Healthy and safe return of the crew members and the passengers on board. We are now learning from Iranian State media that the president of the country and the Foreign Minister and the other passengers and crew have all died aboard. This Helicopter Crash that took place Sunday Afternoon in remote mountains of northwestern iran. So i think we can see that we can anticipate that very quickly the people whove been praying for their safe return will now turn to prayers of mourning in iran indeed, it will be hours and days of mourning ahead again, it is 6309 9 00 a. M. In fact, in tehran and in that country has everyone wakes up well be learning the news that both the president and as you say, the Foreign Minister now dead in that Helicopter Crash. I mean, look, ive obviously present aac was very, very close to the Supreme Leader. Some say he was handpicked by him. Some say that he could have eventually have been his successor. Few doubt though that the direction of iran, whether internally and the way they have certainly clamp down on any protest and dissent inside the country. And the forward posture, the certainly the widening middle east conflict that iran has been provoking in the region, that none of that will change no matter what kind of process h2s is now in place to have this kind of a political dialogue that will now happen in the coming days and weeks well, the Supreme Leader is still in place. The Iranian Revolutionary guard corps which she is at the center of the defense and the outreach and coordination with irans allies and proxies in a very turbulent middle east. They are still in place. There will be questions internally in the parlor games of who could become the next leader. There are other ambitious Policy Petitions inside iran who may seek to win the presidency in a future election if it is to take place Ebrahim Raisi, while being mourned by a section of the iranian population his crash will be celebrated by others ron ones who have been alienated by the hardline tactics of this man himself. And of the Iranian Regime recall that there have been periodic uprisings in modern iranian history since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. But over the past 20 years, ive covered a number of them i and just since 2022, theres been an uprising and many would argue a crisis of legitimacy and credibility of the current government. So the authorities, there will have to manage the next transition and how it moves forward. Then theres the very complicated international and regional picture where the shadow war that had long been fought between iran, sworn enemy, israel, and tehran. That eddie has broken open into the open in the wake of the ongoing Israeli Offensive in gaza where you had just last month the iranian government, for the very first time, Fire Hundreds of missiles and drones at israel. Israel retaliating with a direct strike on iran. Those tensions are out in the open right now. And iran has other enemies. It has been openly supplying russia with shahid drones wounds that have been launched at ukrainian cities over the course of the last year, plus racking up a death count there. So this is a very complicated time and iran has its own internal economic challenges as well. Some people questioning why the president of the country would have been flying in a us made helicopter. When iran famously broke with the us in 1979 with the Islamic Revolution, then this will be a challenge for the iranian authorities to manage moving forward. But much of the Security Architecture and the architecture of governance, despite now the untimely death of the president we will still be in place moving forward. Yes, certainly the Supreme Leader basically insinuating that there will be a smooth transition here depending on the political process, on how long it takes he wanted to reassure iranians. And ivan, you did bring up a very good point that of course the reaction inside of ron is going to be quite different from those outside of iran. A dissidents who just starting with the tenure of president iec, have been fearful of returning to his iran, fearful that they would not be safe given how they express themselves outside of the country, whether its students or other dissidents. Ivan, i want you to stand by for us as we continue to follow this Breaking News. Again, a reminder that are on state media now im saying that there were no survivors of that Helicopter Crash. And that in fact they do believe that nine people were onboard, including the countrys president , Ebrahim Raisi, and the countrys Foreign Minister. I want to bring in sienna Military Analysts and retired Us Air Force Colonel cedric leighton. Thanks so much for joining us i mean, listen, as ivan was just saying, right, this is a us helicopter, no doubt getting parts for it under sanctions wouldnt have been easy. But again, they were flying the hes things, how much do you think that may have contributed or as you and i know from being on helicopters, weather, and the judgment of a pilot and maybe failure of instrumentation. What do you think could have possibly . Were going on here yeah. Paul, i think a lot of these factors could have combined actually to create that socalled perfect storm, where these situations could have resulted in the death of the radiant president and his Foreign Minister but yeah, theres still a copter was probably a bell 212, which is an older version of a bell model thats been really exported number of Different Countries throughout the years. But this particular version, i had a, basically a life that was stopped production, narrative production lives that stopped in the 1998 or so. It was first produced in the United States and then in canada. But it was first introduced during the time of the ladder period of the shas rule in 1976 commercial forum. And it had life before that in the us militaries. So the actual start of this particular type of fellow copter may have been as as early as the late 19 so as you mentioned, spare parts would have definitely been an issue for the iranians. But in this particular case, i think this confluence of spare parts because of the sanctions plus the weather in which was a very bad i read the last few days in this particular part of northwestern iran, all of that, i think contributed to a series of incidents and a series of decisions that the pilot and possibly even the president himself made when it came to flying this aircraft in believe they shouldnt have done so under these conditions, but they did. And unfortunately for them, the result is this crash. So we just leaned on your aviation experience, but i want to lean on your Military Experience now, especially she and when it comes to Chain Of Command, and what was going on, you have the president of the country on this helicopter from our reporting, there was some kind of Security Official also well onboard another perhaps a bodyguard. At what point though in that Chain Of Command, do you have to ensure the safety of the leader of the country to say, i dont care we have to go this helicopter is not taking off and i will add, what do you think it means that this was in a convoy apparently of three helicopters and this was the one that crashed. So only one of three apparently crushed yeah. That is an interesting fact very idea, paula, that we had three coppers is kind of normal procedure when it comes to transporting vips, you have a decoy, you have a helicopter that handles one part of the how do you in another hill, a company that handles and other parts so that you kind of divide things up in that way to ensure the survival of a government doing. Since a continuity of government average. And in this particular case, when it comes to the Chain Of Command on the Military Sayyed in the us system, the eyelid is the final arbiter. When it comes to Flight Safety issues and whether or not the aircraft is supposed to fly and that goes for fixedwing aircraft as well as for rotarywing aircraft