Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff has dismissed speculation alleging the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian last year was caused by anything other than adverse weather conditions.

In a statement released Saturday, the General Staff's communication center confirmed that an in-depth investigation determined the crash of the presidential helicopter in a mountainous region of northwest Iran was solely due to "complicated weather and geographical conditions of the region."

The statement rejected any speculation about technical malfunctions, sabotage, terrorism, explosions, or electronic warfare as causes of the incident.  

It also slammed what it described as "baseless claims circulating online" about President Raisi's death as disconnected from reality and driven by ignorance, misinformation, or ulterior motives.

This comes after a series of statements that prompted speculation over the nature of Raisi and his companions' deaths.

For example, the brother of Raisi's security chief recently said in an interview that the latter had opposed a presidential trip to the Iran-Azerbaijani border. Moreover, Iranian member of parliament Hamid Rasai stated "What happened to the president of this country [Ebrahim Raisi] remains a question mark, and no one has yet been able to erase this question."

Probe confirms weather conditions led to crash

On May 24, the Iranian General Staff released a preliminary report from the High Investigative Committee, confirming that the helicopter, taken by President Raisi, Foreign minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian, and a number of their companions, caught fire after hitting a mountainside.

The challenging terrain, dense fog, and freezing temperatures, with conditions dropping to 15 degrees below zero, significantly hindered the search and recovery operations, which continued until 5 a.m.

The preliminary investigation matches the conclusions drawn from the final report. It had said President Raisi's helicopter followed its pre-planned itinerary and did not divert from it, and the helicopter's pilot was in contact with the crew members of the two other helicopters that were part of the presidential convoy.

A final probe concluded on Septmber 1, 2024, found that the sudden appearance of dense fog caused the helicopterto collide with a mountain, leading to the deaths of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and the rest of the passengers on board.

The investigation ruled out any possibility that the helicopter was targeted by offensive or defensive systems, including electronic, magnetic, or laser-guided weaponry. The report emphasized that there was no evidence of any external attack on the aircraft.

The investigative team thoroughly examined all documents related to the helicopter from the time of its purchase to the moment it crashed. These documents confirmed that the helicopter met all specified standards. Additionally, the report noted that the helicopter had undergone regular technical inspections over the past four years, none of which revealed any faults.

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