Reuters reported in the hours following the breaking news that an Iranian official told the news agency that the "lives of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian are at risk following the helicopter crash."

Reuters initially reported on the confusion surrounding the event, writing that "Iranian media provided contradictory reports about the incident and there has been no official confirmation yet." Iran's interior minister soon after confirmed the news on state TV and noted that weather conditions were hindering the search and rescue operation and that they were awaiting further details. Iran's foreign minister was also aboard the helicopter, which was returning the leaders from a meeting with the president of Azerbaijan.