An initial report from Iran’s military indicates that no evidence of foul play or attack in the helicopter crash resulted in the death of President Ebrahim Raisi.
President Raisi, regarded as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, perished in a crash caused by poor weather conditions in the mountains near the Azerbaijan border last Sunday.
State media released this finding on Friday; the military’s report noted that no signs of gunshots or similar impacts were found on the helicopter wreckage, which crashed at a high altitude and subsequently caught fire.
Officials reported that the control tower’s communications with the flight crew did not reveal any suspicious activities. Further details from the ongoing investigation will be disclosed in due course.
Raisi was laid to rest in Mashhad, Iran’s holy city, on Thursday. The crash also claimed the lives of Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six others.
Experts have frequently criticized Iran’s air safety record, noting recurrent crashes often involving older US-built aircraft acquired before the 1979 Islamic revolution. Iran argues that US sanctions have hindered its ability to purchase modern aircraft or spare parts from Western countries.
Amidst widespread speculation on social media about the cause of the crash, Iran’s top prosecutor has warned against spreading rumours.
According to the semi-official Fars news agency, a man was detained for allegedly posting misleading information about the incident, which garnered 40 million views.
The country declared five days of mourning for Raisi, known for enforcing Khamenei’s stringent policies, suppressing public dissent, and maintaining a hard stance on key foreign policy matters, including the nuclear pact negotiations with Washington. Iran’s presidential election to fill the vacancy has been scheduled for June 28.
