Iran’s Armed Forces Downplay Role of Turkish Drone in Finding President Raisi’s Helicopter Crash Site

Iran’s Armed Forces Downplay Turkish Drone’s Role in Finding President Raisi’s Helicopter Crash Site

In a recent development, the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces has minimized the significance of a Turkish drone in locating the crash site of President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter. Instead, they have highlighted the performance of their own drones in the search and rescue operation.

The incident unfolded early on Monday when Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported that a Turkish Akinci drone had detected “a source of heat suspected to be wreckage of the helicopter carrying President Raisi” and shared the coordinates with Iranian authorities.

However, Iran’s military released a statement stating that despite Turkey’s efforts, the drone failed to accurately pinpoint the crash site due to its limitations in detection equipment and control points below the cloud, exacerbated by adverse weather conditions.

Both Iran and Turkey possess a substantial drone arsenal and have been keen on showcasing the effectiveness of their drones for potential export markets. Notably, Western powers have accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia for its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

While there have been reports of Iranian drones being utilized by Sudan’s army in their conflict against the Rapid Support Forces, Tehran has denied such allegations.

The Iranian Armed Forces explained that they were unable to deploy their advanced drones equipped with synthetic-aperture radar immediately, as they were stationed in the northern part of the Indian Ocean at the time of the incident.

Ultimately, the crash site, where the bodies of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other officials were recovered, was located on Monday morning by Iranian ground rescue teams and drones that were recalled from the Indian Ocean.

Iran’s official news agency IRNA disclosed that the coordinates provided by the Turkish drones were off by 7 km (4 miles).

Iran’s military clarified that Turkey was chosen among “friendly countries” to assist in the rescue mission due to its proximity to the accident site in the northwest of the country.

The search and rescue operation underscore the critical role played by drones in such missions, as nations continue to enhance their capabilities in this domain.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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