DUBAI. A preliminary report by Iran’s military has found no evidence of foul play or attack in the helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi, state media reported on Friday.
President Raisi, a hardliner viewed as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died when his helicopter crashed in poor weather conditions in the mountains near the Azerbaijan border on Sunday.
The report, issued by the armed forces general staff, stated, “Signs of gunshot or similar were not observed in the wreckage of the helicopter (which) crashed in an area in high altitude and burst into flames.” The report also noted, “Nothing suspicious has been observed in the control tower’s conversations with the flight crew.” Further details will be released as the investigation progresses.
Raisi was buried in the Shi’ite Muslim holy city of Mashhad on Thursday, four days after the crash that also claimed the lives of Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six others.
Iran has a poor air safety record, with repeated crashes, many involving U.S.-built aircraft bought before the 1979 Islamic revolution. Tehran attributes this to U.S. sanctions, which it says have long prevented the purchase of new aircraft or spare parts from the West, leaving its fleets outdated and in poor condition.
The nation proclaimed five days of mourning for Raisi, who was known for enforcing Khamenei’s policies, cracking down on public dissent, and adopting a tough stance on foreign policy issues, including negotiations with Washington to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear pact.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
