Iranian scholar links Israel to death of former Iranian president

Published: 2025-05-21 08:20

"It may have been an accident, but our problem in the Azerbaijan region is the presence of Israel and Mossad," said Foad Izadi, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, referring to the anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi near the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan (Iran International).

The helicopter carrying Raisi, then–Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and several other officials crashed on May 19, 2024, in Varzaqan County, located in Iran’s northwestern East Azerbaijan Province. The crash occurred as the Iranian delegation was returning from a ceremony inaugurating a hydroelectric project near the Iran-Azerbaijan border, where Raisi had appeared alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. According to official reports, the crash was caused by poor weather conditions. All eight people on board — five passengers and three crew members — were killed.

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News