A senior member of Iran’s powerful Expediency Discernment Council has alleged that Israel orchestrated the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May 2024, along with then–foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several aides.
In a televised interview on state-run IRIB’s Synergy program Sunday night, Mohammad Sadr said: “From the very first moment I said this was an assassination… carried out by Israel.” He said his conclusion comes from his “personal analysis,” conceding he had no documents or evidence to support the accusation, according to the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya and London-based Iran International.
Sadr went further, claiming Israel’s alleged role was meant to send a warning to Tehran over its regional military activities, support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and pursuit of nuclear capabilities.
Iran’s own military chiefs have repeatedly ruled out Israeli involvement in the crash, attributing it to mechanical failure and adverse weather conditions. Analysts note that anti-Israel activists raised similar allegations in the immediate aftermath, but no evidence has ever been produced.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not linked Raisi’s death to outside action, and Tehran’s official investigation never assigned blame to foreign powers.
In the same interview, Sadr also leveled extraordinary charges against Moscow, alleging Russia passed intelligence about Iranian air defense sites to Israel. He branded this year’s much-publicized strategic pact between Iran and Russia as “worthless,” saying, “Our relationship with Russia must be serious, and at the same time, we must not trust them.”
Sadr argued that despite the treaty’s promises of “military cooperation,” Russia would abandon Iran in a direct confrontation with the United States.
Mohammad Sadr, a cousin of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has been a member of the Expediency Discernment Council since 2017. He previously served as deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs and later as senior advisor to then–foreign minister Javad Zarif.
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