"As of now, nothing can be really ruled out": Foreign Affairs expert Sushant Sareen on Iran Prez Raisi's fatal chopper crash

New Delhi [India], May 20 : Foreign Affairs expert Sushant Sareen said that the incident came as a bit of a surprise and shock to everybody, adding that nothing can be ruled out as of now on what made the helicopter meet such a fate over Iran President Ebrahim Raisi's fatal chopper crash that led to his demise.

However, he said that there is a much higher possibility that the cause could entirely be "weather-related" and perhaps a "technical glitch" that brought the chopper down.

"And of course, like everybody is speculating...was this some kind of sabotage that took place? ...As of now, nothing can really be ruled out. But, I would say that there is a much higher possibility that this was entirely weather-related and perhaps a technical glitch that brought the chopper down. And in those kinds of terrains, if the chopper comes down, you can't really have a hard landing. You have to be lucky to be able to survive such a crash," Sareen told ANI.

Sareen said that it is a tragedy that has visited Iran.

"This is just a tragedy that has visited Iran. But I don't see how is it really going to start impacting the Iranian system. Because the control of the hardliners is very complete. Raisi was a hardliner, some people claim that he was in line to succeed the supreme leader, and now he is gone, perhaps there is going to be a race/tussle at that level to become the apparent heir apparent to the supreme leader..." Sareen said.

"It came as a bit of a surprise and a shock to everybody. but, given that the weather was in that particular region, the terrain. it is quite possible that this was an accident..." he noted.

Asserting that no possibility could be ruled out, he stated, "Now, we don't know whether something like that happened, we don't know whether this is a technical fault that brought the helicopter down. We don't know whether this is a weather-related accident because, in those kinds of terrains and those kinds of weather conditions, that is a possibility."

"Like I said, because the hardliners continue to control the levers of power. I dont see any major change coming about either in Iran's domestic politics and international politics..." Sareen told ANI.

On the Chabahar Port pact that was inked between India and Iran recently, he said, "The deal that we have signed on the Chabahar port or the other engagements that we have with Iran. Those are not person-specific. Those are deals and engagements between two countries. I don't see how that is going to get impacted. The second part is, how it is played out in Western media, the western govts in the western ecosystem."

The Chabahar Port is an India-Iran flagship project that serves as an important transit port for trade with Afghanistan. India has been a key player in the development and operation of Chabahar Port.

As India and Iran signed a long-term contract for operating the Shahid-Beheshti Port Terminal in the presence of Indian and Iranian ministers, it is pertinent to note that the Chabahar port pact deal inked between the two nations will not only enhance regional connectivity but will also facilitate trade, particularly between India, Iran and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.

The Long-Term Bilateral Contract on Chabahar Port Operation was signed between Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) of India and the Port & Maritime Organisation (PMO) of Iran, enabling the operation of Shahid-Behesti in the Chabahar Port Development Project for 10 years.

The Iranian President, along with several other key leaders, was returning from a visit to Azerbaijan when his helicopter crashed in Tabriz city of Iran.

India has declared one day of state mourning on Tuesday (May 21) throughout the country as a mark of respect to the departed dignitaries.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country on all buildings where it is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the day.

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