Russia blames US sanctions for the helicopter crash
Story summary
American sanctions on Iran have worsened aviation safety to levels that allowed Sunday's helicopter crash that led to the demise of President Ibrahim Raisi, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"The Americans disown this, but the truth is that other countries against which the United States announced sanctions do not receive spare parts for American equipment, including aviation," Mr Lavrov said about the crash.
"We are talking about deliberately causing damage to ordinary citizens who use these vehicles, and when spare parts are not supplied, this is directly related to a decrease in the level of safety."
Iranian media reported that images from the site showed the US-made Bell 212 helicopter on which President Raisi was travelling slammed into a mountain peak.
Decades of sanctions have made it hard for Iran to obtain parts or upgrade its aircraft.
User comments