Mohammad Sadr, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, claimed that Israel was behind the death of then-president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May 2024 alongside then-foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several others. He made these remarks during an interview on the program “Synergy.”
“Synergy” is hosted by Mohammed Hossein Ranjbaran, a producer at the state-controlled Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and an advisor to the foreign minister, according to a report by Iran International.
“From the very first moment I said this was an assassination…carried out by Israel,” Sadr said, as reported by the Saudi-owned outlet al-Arabiya.
Sadr clarified that his statement reflects only a “personal analysis” and that he is not presenting any documents or evidence to support his claim, Iran International reported.
Meanwhile, multiple sources — including the program’s host — noted that senior Iranian military officials concluded that Israel had no role in the crash and consistently denied any connection to an assassination. Nevertheless, anti-Israel activists circulated claims at the time that Israel was responsible.
BBC Persian reported that, according to Sadr, Israel’s supposed assassination of Raisi was meant to send a message that “if Iran continues, we [Israel] will continue as well.” He suggested Israel acted to obstruct Iran’s regional strategies, including its military buildup, its backing of terror organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
“Because I knew, through my contacts with Hezbollah in Lebanon, that one of the ways Hezbollah and Israel exchange messages is through the operational field; that is, through carrying out operations so that the other side understands the message,” Sadr was quoted as saying by Iran International.
Sadr also accused Russia of sharing intelligence with Israel about Iranian air defense systems during the same interview.
Referring to the strategic partnership agreement signed between Iran and Russia earlier this year, he called it “worthless,” according to al-Arabiya. He argued that despite the agreement, Israel managed to destroy Iran’s air defense networks and eliminate top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists during June’s Operation Rising Lion.
According to al-Arabiya, Iranian analysts noted that Russia condemned those attacks but refrained from taking any significant diplomatic steps to deter Israel.
Agence France-Presse reported that the treaty was intended to boost cooperation between Iran and Russia, especially in the area of “military cooperation.”
“Our relationship with Russia must be serious, and at the same time, we must not trust them,” Sadr commented, according to Iran International.
He went on to add that “in the event of a war with the US, Russia will not offer us any assistance.”
Sadr has served on the Expediency Discernment Council since 2017 and is related to the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, according to Iran International.
He previously held the position of deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs and also served as a senior advisor to then-foreign minister Javad Zarif, the outlet added.
{Matzav.com}
