Putin’s spokesmen quickly blamed the West for the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
The wreckage of the Bell 212 helicopter manufactured in the United States (U.S.) was discovered by rescue teams yesterday. Initial reports suggest that terrible weather conditions in the mountainous northwest of the country en route to Tehran may have been the cause.
Following an order from Vladimir Putin, Moscow dispatched an emergency rescue team to assist in the search for the president, but they arrived too late. Nevertheless, Putin’s spokesmen wasted no time in accusing the West and Israel of causing the crash.
Putin: Raisi was a true friend of Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday paid tribute to his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in the helicopter crash, calling him an “extraordinary politician” and a “true friend” of Moscow.
President Putin, whose country has significantly strengthened ties with Iran over the past two years, spoke with interim Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber shortly after his appointment, expressing his condolences.
He highlighted the memory of a “reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of friendly relations between Russia and Iran,” according to a Kremlin statement.
During their phone conversation, Vladimir Putin and Mohammad Mokhber emphasized their “mutual desire for a coherent continuation of strengthening global cooperation” between the two countries, the Kremlin added.
A few hours earlier, Putin had paid tribute to Raisi and expressed his condolences, as reported by the Kremlin.
“Ebrahim Raisi was an extraordinary politician. As a true and real friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good-neighborly relations between our two countries and put great effort into bringing them to the level of strategic partnership,” said the Russian president, N1 writes.
E.Dz.
