Iran probe finds bad weather caused ex-President Raisi’s helicopter crash

Iran’s final investigation into the helicopter crash that claimed the life of former President Ebrahim Raisi in May concluded that bad weather was to blame, according to the investigative body. The helicopter, carrying the 63-year-old Raisi and his entourage, crashed on a foggy mountainside in northern Iran, resulting in the deaths of the president, his Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six others, prompting snap elections.

The Supreme Board of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, in its final report, stated that the crash was primarily due to “complex climatic and atmospheric conditions of the region in the spring.” The report, as aired by state broadcaster IRIB on Sunday, highlighted that “the sudden emergence of a thick mass of dense and rising fog” led to the helicopter’s collision with the mountain.

The investigation found no evidence of sabotage in the helicopter’s parts and systems. Earlier, in May, Iran’s army had also reported no signs of criminal activity in the crash. Last month, Fars news agency had cited bad weather as the main cause of the May 19 crash, noting that the helicopter’s inability to ascend with two additional passengers, in violation of security protocols, was also a factor.

However, the communications center of the Armed Forces General Staff, responsible for releasing information on the investigation, dismissed the Fars report as “completely false,” according to state media.

Raisi, a hardline politician, was elected president in 2021 and had been widely viewed as the likely successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s highest authority.