Armed Forces General Staff Rejects Any 'Speculation' Regarding the Helicopter Crash of Raisi

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic issued a new statement once again rejecting any 'speculation' and 'irresponsible comments' regarding the helicopter crash of Ebrahim Raisi and called for the judiciary to take action against those they labeled as 'disturbers of the psychological security of society.' In the statement published on Saturday, January 29, it was mentioned that claims made by individuals recently in cyberspace and 'some circles' about the circumstances of Ebrahim Raisi's death are 'far from the truth and seem to stem from ignorance or are made with specific intentions.' The helicopter carrying the former president of Iran, the former foreign minister, and several other companions crashed on May 30 of this year in the heights of the Varzeqan region in East Azerbaijan province, killing all on board. Following this incident, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran assigned a committee to investigate, which published two official reports, and ultimately in a third report released in mid-September, deemed the main cause of the helicopter crash to be 'the complex climatic and weather conditions of the region in spring leading to the sudden formation of a thick, dense, upward mass of fog and the helicopter's collision with a mountain.' Meanwhile, immediately after the incident, contradictory statements and narratives from officials and media of the Islamic Republic began and continue to this day. The reactions to these contradictory narratives were so widespread that even some figures close to the government and domestic media raised significant criticisms despite the security atmosphere and threats in this regard. It seems that the new statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces is also a reaction to new narratives recently published in cyberspace and the media, including an interview with the brother of Ebrahim Raisi's chief bodyguard and a speech by a member of parliament. According to the brother of Mehdi Mousavi, Ebrahim Raisi's chief bodyguard, in an interview with Iran 24 website, Mehdi Mousavi was 'completely opposed' to traveling to the border of Azerbaijan but ultimately acted on his inherent duty at the insistence of the president's office. Last December, Kamran Ghazanfari, a member of parliament, again claimed the 'intentionality' of Raisi's helicopter crash and stated that the United States and Israel were involved in 'martyring' Ebrahim Raisi. In response to these speculations, the General Staff of the Armed Forces emphasized that 'none of the speculations, including technical failure, sabotage, assassination, explosion, electronic warfare, and similar issues, have been proven.' The staff further requested that media, individuals, and members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly refrain from 'unprofessional, emotional, and irresponsible comments' and 'any form of speculation.'