Tehran, Iran – In a statement, Javad Zarif, Iran’s former foreign minister, has accused the United States of being “one of the main culprits” behind the recent helicopter crash that claimed the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other officials.
Zarif attributed the tragedy to US sanctions, which he said had blocked the supply of “aircraft and aviation parts to Iran”. He condemned the sanctions as a “crime against the Iranian people” and vowed that this incident would be “recorded in the list of US crimes” against Iran.
The helicopter crash occurred in a mountainous region near the border with Azerbaijan, amid dense fog and snow. The incident has sparked widespread mourning and outrage in Iran, with many blaming the US sanctions for the tragedy.
Zarif’s statement has further heightened tensions between Iran and the US, which have been at odds since the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the reimposition of sanctions on Iran.