The small Falcon jet came down near Oroumieh, 900 km (560 miles) north-west of the capital, Tehran. State TV said it was attempting an emergency landing. Officials blamed bad weather and engine failure for the crash.

Last month, a military transport plane crashed in Tehran, killing 128 people. It came down in a residential district, hitting a 10-storey apartment building.

Revolutionary Guards' spokesman, Gen Masoud Jazayeri, said the plane "crashed near the airport due to bad weather, lack of visibility and failure in both engines."

On board was Ahmed Kazemi, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards ground forces and a veteran of the 1980-88 war with Iraq.

The Fars news agency, which has close links to the Revolutionary Guards, said a number of other top commanders, including an intelligence chief, were also on board.

Fars said 15 people were on the flight, and 13 had died with two missing. The Iranian news agency, Irna, said 11 people died in the crash.

Irna quoted deputy government spokesman Mohammad Paryab as saying an investigation into the causes of the crash would be carried out.

CNN