(NewsInsights.org) – Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed the United States for the May 19 death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in foggy, inclement conditions near the Azerbaijan border. Zarif pointed to decades of sanctions that have prevented Iran from obtaining newer aircraft or aviation parts to maintain planes and helicopters, preventing Iran from enjoying “good aviation facilities.”
Raisi and seven others died when the Bell 212 helicopter in which they were traveling crashed into a mountain in northwest Iran during heavy fog and blizzard conditions. Investigators are still collecting information about the incident from the remote crash site and haven’t yet released a cause for the accident.
However, in a telephone interview with state media on May 20, Zarif called the US “One of the culprits behind yesterday’s tragedy.” He said the ban kept “Iran from procuring essential aviation parts.” He stated that his country would add Raisi’s death to “the black list of American crimes against the Iranian nation.”
The US began imposing sanctions on Iran in 1979 after the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution that overthrew the Shah and brought the Ayatollahs to power. Iran had a stockpile of several aircraft in working condition at the time, including at least 15 Bell 212 helicopters. Bell manufactured the 212 model helicopter from 1968 until 1998.
Zarif’s comments came as Iran continued to align itself with Russia and China against Western nations, including the US. Recently, Iran has supplied drones and missiles to Russia in its fight against Ukraine and has supplied Hezbollah and Houthis in Yemen with weapons, some of which they have used against Israel. Iran also recently launched a missile attack directly on Israel.
Although sanctions have prevented the nation from legally importing aviation parts, it has maintained and supplied its proxies and allies with technologically advanced weaponry.
Copyright 2024, NewsInsights.org
