A helicopter carrying Iran’s president has been involved in a “hard landing”, Iranian state media has said.

President Ebrahim Raisi was travelling in the aircraft in Iran‘s East Azerbaijan province at the time.

Rescue teams are reportedly heading to the scene but are being hampered by bad weather.

State news agency IRNA said it happened near the city of Jolfa, about 375 miles (600km) northwest of the capital Tehran.

It reported he was travelling with foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan province and other officials.

Mr Raisi had been in Azerbaijan for the inauguration of a dam with the country’s president, Ilham Aliyev.

The 63-year-old is a hardliner and former head of the judiciary who some have suggested could one day replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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He has been president since August 2021.

Mr Raisi’s time in charge has included major protests over Mahsa Amini – the woman who died after she was arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.

Iran also took the unprecedented decision in April to launch a drone and missile attack on Israel.

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