US also said it does not suspect any foul play, narrowing the cause of the helicopter crash to an accident
By Kehinde Okeowo
The United States of America has refuted innuendos that it might be responsible for the death of Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, who recently lost his life in an helicopter crash on Sunday.
Speaking through its Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, US listed a number of reasons that might have led to the unfortunate accident.
Raisi, alongside the country’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian lost their lives in a chooper crash that occurred in a mountainous area in the province of East Azerbaijan, amid foggy conditions.
Seven other casualties in the accident included East Azerbaijan Governor, Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, representative of Iranian Supreme Leader to East Azerbaijan.
There were three helicopters in this convoy, two of which were carrying the ministers and officials.
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Raisi’s death comes on the heels of a fraught moment in the Middle East, with war raging in Gaza between US backed Israel and Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military movement, Hamas, which has been governing the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.
However, speaking on the accident that shook the international community, Lloyd Austin denied any US role in the crash.
He went on to say it does not suspect any foul play, narrowing the cause of the crash to an accident.
“The United States had no part to play in that crash. That’s a fact, plain and simple.
“It could be a number of things — mechanical failure, pilot error, you name it.
“We continue to monitor the situation but we don’t have any insights into the cause of the accident,” Austin said.
