Iran’s Supreme Board of the General Staff has concluded its investigation into the helicopter crash that claimed the life of former President Ebrahim Raisi in May, citing adverse weather conditions as the primary cause. The helicopter, carrying the 63-year-old president and his entourage, crashed on a foggy mountainside in northern Iran, killing Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six others.
According to the report, the crash was primarily caused by the “complex climatic and atmospheric conditions of the region in the spring”, with the helicopter colliding with the mountain due to the sudden emergence of dense fog. The investigation found no evidence of sabotage, corroborating earlier findings from the Iranian army.
The crash led to snap elections in Iran, as Raisi, a hardline politician elected in 2021, had been widely seen as the natural successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The report also dismissed previous claims by Fars news agency that bad weather combined with the helicopter’s inability to ascend with two additional passengers had contributed to the crash, calling the earlier report “completely false”.
State TV reported that the incident occurred near Jolfa, a city bordering Azerbaijan, approximately 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of Tehran, the Iranian capital. Rescuers faced challenges due to poor weather conditions in the area. Following the crash, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over the passing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
(With inputs from PTI)