Iran is mourning the death of its President, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The crash happened because of a technical problem, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Many people died in the crash, including Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Friday Prayer leader Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem, pilots, and flight crew. The helicopter crashed in the mountains during bad weather on its way back from East Azerbaijan province. All passengers, including President Raisi, were found dead on Monday after a search during a snowstorm.
A funeral for President Raisi will be held in Tehran on Tuesday. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced a five-day mourning period. He has named Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, the temporary president and said a new president must be elected within 50 days.
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blames the United States for the crash. He says US sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry caused the accident. Zarif mentioned that Iran has faced many difficulties because of these sanctions but has overcome them.
The crashed helicopter, a US-made Bell 212, is very old. Iran bought many Bell helicopters before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but US sanctions have made it hard to get new parts or upgrade the aircraft, causing many air accidents in Iran over the years.
Iran’s aviation sector is struggling because it cannot buy new planes or parts due to sanctions, leading to many deadly air accidents in the past.