The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran refuted a news agency's report claiming that the helicopter of the late President Ebrahim Raisi crashed due to adverse weather conditions and excessive weight.

Raisi’s helicopter crashed in north-western Iran on May 19, resulting in the deaths of all passengers, including the president and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.  

Snap elections held on July 5 led to the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian, whose entire cabinet received a collective vote of confidence from the parliament on August 21.

Shortly after the parliamentary vote, Fars News Agency released a report about the causes of the helicopter incident.

The agency cited “an informed security source” as saying that unfavourable weather conditions and the excessive weight of the helicopter were the two reasons for the crash.

The flight teams had been informed of weather conditions the night before and were supposed to complete the flight before 1:00 p.m. local time, but it was delayed due to the president’s meetings, according to the report.

Additionally, the helicopter was carrying two more passengers than allowed by security protocols, which made the pilot unable to control it in the face of a fog, the source was quoted as saying.

The report claimed that all other scenarios, including sabotage, jamming, hacking, the use of chemicals, and human error, were ruled out during the investigations.

“The security and intelligence agencies have completed their detailed investigations, and there is absolute certainty that what happened was an accident,” the source quoted.

However, the General Staff of the Armed Forces later declared that what was reported by Fars News, quoting a "security source”, was flawed and invalid.

It reminded that the General Staff, the authority responsible for publishing news about this incident, had previously explained the dimensions and reasons for the helicopter crash in two separate statements.

“It is necessary for the media to coordinate with the [General Staff of the Armed Forces] when publishing defence, security, and law enforcement news, and to prioritise accuracy over speed to avoid providing opportunities for enemy abuse,” the General Staff said in a statement.

Ali Naderi, managing director of the Iranian government’s official news agency, IRNA, also reacted to the Fars News report.

He tweeted that the helicopter’s capacity was 12 people, carrying only eight when the crash occurred.

Also, the meteorological organisation had forecast poor weather conditions for 2:00 p.m. local time, but the flight would have landed at 13:45 as scheduled, he added.

“Is publishing stories contrary to official reports aimed at playing with people’s trust? … Why after a vote of confidence? Why an informed source?” Naderi wrote on X.