The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko expressed the opinion that the USA is to blame for the death of the President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, as its sanctions policy prohibits the servicing of his helicopter, reports BelTa and TASS.
He made the statement during two days of talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
"They banned their companies from serving him. Therefore, it is also their fault," the president believes.
The Belarusian leader recalled that the USA also imposed sanctions against his plane.
"Everyone is a believer in the US. Well, if they are believers, let them wait for God to send them an answer, they do not behave like that in the world. I'm not a mystic, but the time will come, everyone will answer for that, they will answer in full, they won't hide behind the ocean," Lukashenko said. Those responsible for making such decisions should expect just retribution.
The head of Belarus emphasized that the US "banned the service of this helicopter, that's for sure".
Lukashenko noted that his plane also fell under the sanctions, unlike Putin's, for example, because he uses a Russian one.
Lukashenko emphasized that Raisi was a "normal, kind person who conducts a frank, honest dialogue, is concerned about the development of his own country and protects the interests of his people". The head of state called the deceased Ebrahim Raisi a good friend of both Belarus and Russia.
"I think that Iran is the country that will find out what happened there," Lukashenko added.
In turn, the Belarusian president noted that other persons accompanying the Iranian president flew in two Russian-made helicopters under the same weather conditions, in the same air corridor and traveled without problems.
We recall that the sanctions of the United States worsened aviation safety. This is what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented a few days ago on the occasion of the helicopter crash.
"The Americans deny this, but the truth is that other countries against which the US has announced sanctions do not receive spare parts for American equipment, including aviation, Lavrov said about the crash. We are talking about deliberately causing damage to ordinary citizens who use these vehicles, and when spare parts are not supplied, this is directly related to a reduction in the level of safety," he said categorically.
According to Iranian media, there is footage showing that the US-made Bell 212 helicopter Raisi was traveling in on the fateful day crashed into a mountain peak. However, there is still no official information about the cause of the plane crash. Iran was a major buyer of Bell helicopters before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, although the exact origin of the crashed machine was unclear. Decades of sanctions have made it difficult for Tehran to procure parts or upgrade its helicopters.
The United States said it had received a request for help, but largely for logistical reasons, did not respond to Iran's appeal.
The rare request from Iran, which views the United States and Israel as its main adversaries, was revealed by the State Department at a briefing.
"We were asked for help by the Iranian government. We have made it clear that we will offer assistance, as we would in response to any request from a foreign government in a similar situation, spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. "Ultimately, largely due to logistical reasons, we were unable to provide that assistance," Miller explains, without elaborating.
Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi was buried a day earlier in the holy city of Mashhad - four days after he died in a helicopter crash along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdolakhian and six others.
Raisi, 63, was seen as a possible successor to 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who holds supreme power in Iran. Mohammad Mohber, who was first vice president, was appointed interim president until elections in June.
Eight passengers and crew died after the helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain near the border with Azerbaijan.
Iran announced five days of mourning in memory of Raisi.
The presidential elections are scheduled for June 28.