A U.S. official informed NBC News on Monday that there was no “foreign influence” in the helicopter accident that claimed the life of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday.
All those aboard a helicopter that crashed in Iran’s northern region on Sunday, including Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and numerous other regime officials, perished. According to NBC, U.S. officials refuted theories on Monday that suspected foul activity was at play, while Iranian state media has only so far described the disaster as a “technical failure.”
“No foreign influence whatsoever,” the spokesperson told NBC.
The insider told NBC that the Biden administration does not believe that Raisi’s passing would lead to “any big sea shifts” in the relationship between the United States and Iran. Meanwhile, administration officials are closely monitoring the situation to determine its outcome and whether the Iranian leadership would assign responsibility to the United States.
“They already have,” the person told NBC, citing statements made by the former Iranian foreign minister that U.S. sanctions prevented Iran from producing replacement helicopter components. “That is absurd.”
In the following fifty days, vice president Muhammad Mokhber will lead the country as president in an acting capacity. The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who sent his sympathies to the Iranian people on Monday, is the most influential figure in Iran, with the president coming in second.
Over many years, Raisi held a variety of positions within the Iranian government until winning the presidency in 2021. According to the Associated Press, there was a belief that Raisi would eventually succeed Khamenei.
Following its takeover in 1979, the Iranian dictatorship installed Raisi as its dictator and oversaw the repression of the Iranian people. Raisi also contributed to the worsening of relations between Iran and the West, which is growing more worried about Tehran’s involvement in Middle Eastern terrorism and its developing nuclear weapons program.
According to The Washington Post, there will be a celebration on Tuesday and a memorial service for Raisi on Monday in Iran.