Iranian President Die in Bell-212 Helicopter Crash

In a tragic turn of events, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and several members of their entourage, met their demise in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

The ill-fated U.S.-made Bell 212, believed to have been procured during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, plummeted near the city of Jolfa, close to the Azerbaijani border.

The helicopter, en route to Tabriz, crashed under challenging weather conditions, amidst poor visibility in a forested area between the villages of Uzi and Pir Dawood, shortly after 4 p.m. local time on May 19. Tragically, all eight individuals on board, including security personnel and crew, perished in the incident, as confirmed by Iranian state media.

Before confirming the deaths early on May 20, Iranian officials initially referred to the incident as a “hard landing.” However, state media later referred to it as an accident. Since taking office in 2021, the 63-year-old ultraconservative Raisi has faced tensions with Israel, widespread protests, and economic unrest made worse by US sanctions.

High tensions over the Gaza conflict led to a deluge of condolences from parties like Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah, allies in the “Axis of Resistance” against Israel.

Both the choice to fly two senior government officials on the same aircraft and the usage of such an outdated platform for VIP transport are called into question by the disaster. Iran has faced difficulties in maintaining its fleets of aircraft manufactured in the West due to international sanctions.