Rescue team carry a body following a crash of a helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, in Varzaqan, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. (Image: REUTERS)
The purported role of the pager came into the fore after a photo of Raisi meeting Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halboosi, where the pager is seen on a table, went viral.
Iranian member of parliament Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani hinted that a pager, similar to the ones used to target Hezbollah in Lebanon, exploded inside the chopper of former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in May leading it to crash.
In two days of attacks on September 16 and September 17 pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded. The total death toll in those attacks has risen to 39, and more than 3,000 were injured. The attacks were widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.
“One likely scenario regarding the deadly helicopter crash that killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi is the explosion of his pager,” Ardestani told Iranian news media outlets.
“Raisi used a pager, although the type of the pager he used might be different from the ones Hezbollah forces had. However, one of the likely scenarios regarding the chopper crash is the explosion of his pager,” he said.
He further hinted that Iran played a role in the purchase of the pagers. “(Iranian forces) certainly played a role in the purchase of Hezbollah’s pagers, and therefore, our own intelligence agencies must also investigate this matter,” he further added.
The theory that Raisi used a pager started floating around last week after a photo of him and outgoing Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halboosi went viral.
In the photo, a pager can be seen kept on the table in the background. It remains unclear if it is the same pager brand that Hezbollah militants were using.
Severe weather conditions, including thick fog, were primarily responsible for the helicopter crash in May that resulted in the death of Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi, according to a final investigation report released by the Iranian government earlier this month.
The General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces released the report, stating that the technical, engineering, electronic, and navigation aspects of the helicopter were thoroughly examined. The findings confirmed that all procedures and measures adhered to established standards and regulations before and during the flight, Xinhua news agency reported, citing IRIB news agency.
The report ruled out deviations from the flight route, incorrect route information, and external interference as factors in the crash. It also noted that the pilot did not report any emergency situation, and forensic examinations revealed no evidence of foul play or an attack.
The report attributed the crash to the region’s “complicated climatic and atmospheric conditions during spring”, which led to the formation of dense fog and caused the helicopter to crash into a mountain.
Raisi, along with his entourage, including former Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, died when their helicopter crashed in a mountainous area in East Azarbaijan province on May 19.
