00:00 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed the US and said that the US sanctions have
00:21 exacerbated aviation safety issues in reference to the helicopter crash that killed Iranian
00:26 President Ibrahim Raisi. Iranian media reported that images from the crash site showed the
00:33 US-made Bell 212 helicopter, which Raisi was travelling on, had slammed into a mountain
00:39 peak. However, there has been no official determination regarding the cause of the crash.
00:45 Iran was a significant purchaser of Bell helicopters under the Shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution,
00:51 though the exact origin of the aircraft involved in the crash remains unclear. Decades of sanctions
00:58 have hindered Iran's ability to obtain parts or upgrade its aircraft, contributing to the
01:05 ongoing safety challenges. The Americans disown this, but the truth is that other countries
01:12 against which the United States announced sanctions do not receive spare parts for American
01:18 equipment, including aviation. We are talking about deliberately causing damage to ordinary
01:24 citizens who use these vehicles, and when spare parts are not supplied, this is directly
01:29 related to a decrease in the level of safety. Meanwhile, Russian Security Council Secretary
01:34 Sergei Shoigu sent a telegram to Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme
01:40 National Security Council, expressing condolences over the death of Iranian President Ibrahim
01:45 Raisi in the helicopter crash. According to TASS, Shoigu also offered assistance in investigating
01:51 the tragic incident. "Please accept the deepest condolences over the tragic death of Iranian
02:00 President Ibrahim Raisi. We mourn this irreplaceable loss together with the Iranian people. I am
02:06 confident that his work will be continued and he will be remembered for centuries. I
02:11 confirm our readiness to provide all the necessary assistance to establish the true causes of
02:18 the crash of the helicopter with Ibrahim Raisi on board."
02:23 On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian President crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan
02:28 province. Among those on board were Foreign Minister Hossein Ahmad Abdullian, Governor
02:34 of East Azerbaijan Province Malik Rehmati, and Mohammad Ali Al-Hashim, Imam of Friday
02:41 Prayer in Tabriz. Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri confirmed the death of President
02:47 Raisi and his entourage.
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