- The report says that no signs of gunshots or similar were observed.
- More details will be released as the investigation progresses.
- Nothing suspicious was observed in the control tower conversations.
DUBAI: A preliminary report from Iran's military said no evidence of foul play or attack had been found so far during investigations into the helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi, state media reported on Friday.
Raisi, considered a possible successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died on Sunday when his helicopter crashed due to bad weather in the mountains near the border with Azerbaijan.
“No signs of shooting or similar were observed in the remains of the helicopter (which) crashed in an area at high altitude and burst into flames,” indicates the report issued by the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
“Nothing suspicious has been observed in the control tower's conversations with the flight crew,” he added.
More details will be released as the investigation progresses, according to the report.
Raisi was buried in the holy city of Mashhad in Iran on Thursday, four days after the crash that also killed Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six others.
Experts say Iran has a poor aviation safety record, with repeated accidents, many involving planes built in the United States and purchased before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Tehran says US sanctions have long prevented it from purchasing new aircraft or spare parts from the West to upgrade its fleets.
Iran's top prosecutor this week warned against spreading rumors on social media amid speculation that the helicopter may have been shot down, state media reported.
Security forces detained a man accused of publishing a “false” report that went viral on social media with 40 million views, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. The publication had cast doubt on the authenticity of state media photos of the helicopter.
Iran proclaimed five days of mourning for Raisi, who enacted Khamenei's policies, cracked down on public dissent and took a hard line on foreign policy issues, including talks with Washington to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear pact.
Presidential elections are scheduled for June 28.
