A helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was caused by bad weather, according to an official report released Sunday.
Raisi, 63, and seven others died when their helicopter went down in mountainous northwest Iran on May 19. A well-known hardliner, Raisi had been seen as a possible successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian military investigators determined the crash was caused by “complex climatic and atmospheric conditions of the region in the spring,” Al-Jazeera reported. The report also blamed a dense fog that appeared suddenly before the helicopter struck a mountain.
In May, the Iranian military said it found no signs of foul play, and the official report said there was no sabotage and the helicopter had passed all safety tests.
Investigators also found the helicopter stuck to its planned path and did not deviate until the crash, according to Turkish state-run news outlet Anadolu Agency. The pilot sent no emergency messages or distress signals before the crash.
Raisi’s death triggered a snap election, which resulted in Masoud Pezeshkian taking office in July. Pezeshkian is seen as more of a reformer, while Raisi was known for his unwavering commitment to Iran’s current political structure.
Raisi was elected president in 2021 in a vote carefully managed by Khamenei to ensure his victory. Major opposition candidates were banned from running, and Raisi cruised to victory with 62% of the vote.
Earlier in life, Raisi also oversaw thousands of executions at the end of the vicious Iran-Iraq War. During his tenure as president, the Iranian military violently cracked down on protesters following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, killing more than 500 people and wounding 20,000 others.
With News Wire Services