DUBAI (Reuters) – A preliminary report from Iran’s military says no evidence of foul play or attack has been found so far in the investigation into the helicopter crash that killed the president. Ebrahim RaisiState media reported this on Friday.
Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed Monday when his helicopter crashed in bad weather in the mountains near the border with Azerbaijan.
“Signs of gunfire or the like were not observed in the wreckage of the helicopter (which) crashed in a high-altitude area and burst into flames,” the Armed Forces General Staff report said.
“Nothing suspicious was observed in the control tower’s conversations with the flight crew,” it added. More details would be released as the investigation progressed, the report said.
Raisi was buried on Thursday in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Mashhad, four days after the crash that also killed Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six others.
Experts say Iran has a poor aviation safety record, with repeated crashes, many involving US-built planes purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Tehran says US sanctions have long prevented the country from buying new aircraft or spare parts from the West to modernize its creaking fleets.
Iran has declared five days of mourning for Raisi, who has implemented Khamenei’s policies, cracked down on public opinion and adopted a hard line on foreign policy, including talks with Washington to end Iran’s nuclear pact to revive Iran from 2015.
Presidential elections are scheduled for June 28.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
