Many questions surrounding the plane crash carrying the Iranian President

The US-made Bell 212 helicopter carrying Mr Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian crashed on May 19 in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, killing all on board. The Iranian military's General Staff has been tasked with investigating the cause of the incident.

“The possibility that the explosion could have been caused by sabotage in flight or a few seconds before impact with the hillside has been ruled out,” the General Staff statement said.

The Iranian military added that after examining documents and records related to the presidential plane, “no defects in repair and maintenance were found that could have influenced the accident.” Likewise, the helicopter’s weight at takeoff was “within permissible limits.”

The presidential helicopter last made contact with the other two aircraft in the group 69 seconds before the fatal crash, and did not send a distress signal, the report said. A radio problem was also ruled out, as the other two helicopters continued to communicate, while “no traces of electronic warfare” were found on the remains of the aircraft.

According to the General Staff, the cause of the incident has not yet been determined. However, their report noted that weather conditions along the return journey“needs further investigation”,based on the latest documents as well as testimony from pilots and passengers on the surviving helicopters.

Raisi was buried last week in his hometown of Mahshad. The government in Tehran has announced that elections for his successor will be held on June 28. Meanwhile, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has assumed the presidency, with the backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Candidate registration will begin on May 30 and run through June 3. Candidates will reportedly be vetted by the Guardian Council, a 12-member body of clerics and jurists who oversee elections. The campaign is scheduled to run from June 12 to June 27.