“As a person, and not as a president, I will say that the vile, disgusting position of the United States led to this,” reported Almayadeen quoting Alexander Lukashenko.
“I mean, first of all, the sanctions. These scoundrels had no right to impose sanctions against ships, against planes, helicopters that transport people… They banned their companies from servicing [Raisi’s helicopter]. Therefore, this is also their fault.”
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Alexander Lukashenko also said that it does not matter whether this helicopter has been in operation for 40 or 50 years. “Maybe it has been used three times only in these fifty years, it would be fine if properly serviced – but they forbade their companies as well to maintain it. Therefore, this is also their fault. They forbade servicing that helicopter. That’s true,” Belarus Today reported Lukashenko as saying.
Meanwhile, a preliminary report by the general staff of the armed forces, published by the official IRNA news agency late on Thursday said that no bullet holes or similar impacts were observed on the helicopter wreckage, reported AFP.
The army said “more time is needed” to investigate the crash and that it would announce more details later.
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– No suspicious content was observed during the communications between the watch tower and the flight crew.
– Raisi’s helicopter had been flying on a “pre-planned route and did not leave the designated flight path” before the crash.
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– The wreckage of the helicopter had been found by Iranian drones early on Monday but the “complexity of the area, fog and low temperature” hindered the work of search and rescue teams.