Tehran, Iran

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former Iranian foreign minister, has blamed the United States sanctions on aviation parts for the crash of the helicopter that killed President Ebrahim Raisi. 

Advertisment

In an interview to state television, Zarif said the sanctions compromised Iran's access to modern aviation facilities. 

"One of the culprits behind yesterday's tragedy is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts," said Zarif. 

Also read: India-Iran ties in Ebrahim Raisi years: Between BRICS, Chabahar and Central Asia connectivity 

Advertisment

What do we know about the helicopter? 

Iranian state media reported that the helicopter that crashed in Iran was a Bell 212 model. It is a civilian version of the ubiquitous Vietnam War-era UH-1N "Twin Huey". Such helicopters are in wide use globally by both governments and private operators. 

It was developed for the Canadian military in the late 1960s and introduced in 1971. So far, it is unclear how old the helicopter that crashed on Sunday was. However, sanctions against the country often prevent access to updated aircraft and parts. 

Advertisment

Also read: Hamas, Islamic Jihad mourn Raisi’s demise, hail him for ‘support’ in war against Israel 

US denies any role in crash 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday that he did not have insight into the cause of the helicopter crash. He further added that he did not necessarily see any broader impact on regional security. 

While speaking to reporters, Austin said, "Regarding the death of Iran's president, in the very unfortunate helicopter crash. We continue to monitor the situation, but we don't have any insights into the cause of the of the accident at this point." 

Watch: Supreme leader allows first vice president to take charge 

×

"I know the Iranians are investigating or will investigate. And so we'll see what the outcome is once their investigation is complete. In terms of our force posture, I don't have any announcements to make. And again, this is something that we'll continue to watch. And I don't necessarily see any broader regional security impacts at this point in time," he added. 

"I won't speculate as to what they what they'll blame. Again, they have to conduct an investigation to see what the cause of the crash was. It could be a number of things: mechanical failure, pilot error, you name it," Austin said. 

(With inputs from agencies)