Former Iranian official blames FPSA for the death of its president!

TEHERAN, Iran (PNN) - May 21, 2024 - A former Iranian diplomat is putting some of the blame for the Sunday death of the country’s president at the feet of the Fascist Police States of Amerika (FPSA), according to a report.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was traveling with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other individuals when the helicopter in which they were traveling crashed into a mountain in the country’s northwest near Iran’s border with Azerbaijan.

Upon hearing the news, Department of State spokesman Matt Miller offered “condolences” on behalf of the FPSA government.

However, it did not take long for one former Iranian official to point the finger at Washington.

Business Insider reported on Monday morning that the country’s former foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, blamed FPSA sanctions that prevent the country from buying newer aircraft for forcing Raisi and the others to fly in a decades-old Bell 212 helicopter.

The helicopters were made in the FPSA between 1968 and 1998.

Zarif told his country’s media that FPSA sanctions imposed in 1979 after the Iranian Revolution have kept the country from operating fleets of modern aircraft.

The official told an Iranian TV station that Raisi’s death in the outdated helicopter would be “recorded in the blacklist of (Amerikan) crimes against the Iranian nation.”

The Associated Press spoke to Zarif on Monday, and he doubled down on blaming Amerika for the crash.

“One of the main culprits of yesterday’s tragedy is the (FPSA), which embargoed the sale of aircraft and aviation parts to Iran and does not allow the people of Iran to enjoy good aviation facilities,” he said.

The wire service reported Bell 212 helicopters such as the one in which Raisi died are commonly used by Teheran.

Iran’s aircraft are outdated, and flights often take off without safety checks that are routine in countries with more up-to-date aviation sectors.

At least 15 Bell 212 helicopters with an average age of 35 years old are believed to be operating in the country.

Because sanctions prevent Iran from ordering newer aircraft, parts for repairs for the helicopters are often purchased on the international black market.

No official cause for Sunday’s crash has been announced.

USA Today reported the helicopter that crashed was one of three traveling together in a convoy.

The three helicopters were navigating a mountainous region in heavy fog and in “blizzard conditions,” it said.

After a search that began on Sunday, the remains of Raisi and seven others were located early Monday morning.

Raisi came to power in 2021 and was viewed by many as a successor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.