'Technical failure' causes helicopter crash killing Iran president, regime blames US sanctions

Iranian state media said on Monday that a “technical failure" caused the helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and a top Iranian official is blaming U.S. economic sanctions.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has faced international sanctions, which the New York Times reported has had a negative impact on aviation in the country.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s former foreign minister, argued on Monday that the U.S. was indirectly responsible for the crash due to the sanctions it has imposed on Iran. 

"One of the causes of this heartbreaking incident is the United States, which by sanctioning the sale of the aviation industry to Iran caused the martyrdom of the president and his companions, and the US’s crime will be recorded in the minds of the Iranian people and history," read an Iranian state news report, attributing the comments to Zarif.