Conspiracy theories abound following Iranian leaders’ fatal helicopter crash

Unsurprisingly in this age of rapid dissemination of information, the conspiracy theories have been flowing in the wake of the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash.

Tehran is public enemy number one for both Israel and the United States, neither of which shy away from eliminating people they consider threats.

Yet, given the fact that the Iranian authorities themselves have made no accusations and that the crash took place in bad weather in mountainous terrain, it seems more like this was an aviation tragedy, what experts would term “controlled flight into terrain”.

There may be questions, though, on why the president and foreign minister were flying in an American-made Bell 212 helicopter which is decades old, and about whether Iran has been able to maintain its flying safety standards while under sanctions by the US.

Although the “Supreme Leader” of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is still very much in charge as the “ultimate authority” in the country, there has been speculation that the death of Raisi especially may result in a power struggle at the top of Iranian society.

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There have been a number of protests in the country since 2021 and this latest development may lead to more.

What doesn’t seem likely, given the Iranian leadership’s unity on the issue, is that it will abandon its support for Palestine and Hamas in the current bloodshed in Gaza.

Nor is there likely to be any change in Tehran’s relations with South Africa – a relationship which has been repeatedly attacked by local supporters of Israel, who claim the ANC takes orders from Iran.

That, of course, obscures the reality that the ANC’s stance has – like it nor not – been driven by morality and an abhorrence of the killing of civilians.

Whatever happens in Iran, that won’t change.

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