Ex-Iranian Minister Blames US Sanctions for Raisi’s Chopper Crash

Iran’s former foreign minister has blamed the helicopter crash that killed the Islamic Republic’s president on US sanctions on aviation parts.

Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that these punitive measures had hindered Tehran’s access to modern aircraft and prevented necessary repairs to its aging fleet of American-made aircraft.

The helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was a US-made Bell 212, likely over 40 years old.

“One of the culprits behind yesterday’s tragedy is the United tates, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts,” Zarif said in an interview with state television.

“These will be recorded in the list of US crimes against the Iranian people,” he added.

Iran heavily invested in US aircraft, including F-14 fighter jets and the Chinook helicopters, before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Washington announced an arms embargo against Tehran shortly afterward, and the rebranded Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force began to fall into disrepair.

Two Bell 212 helicopters, used to transport high-ranking government officials, were known to have survived the blockade in working order.

Details of the crash that killed Raisi are still scant, with experts refusing to offer a definitive opinion on what exactly happened to bring the craft down.