Iran rules out possibility that Raisi's helicopter shot down

No traces of bullets were found on the hull of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter, the Iranian General Staff’s public relations center reported.

"No traces of bullets or similar objects were found on the hull of the crashed helicopter," the statement reads.

According to the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, it was publishing preliminary findings of the investigation into the fatal accident that claimed the president’s life, but "it can be said with certainty" that bullets were not involved.

The General Staff also said that "it can be said with certainty that <…> the crashed helicopter caught fire only after hitting an elevation."

It was noted that "a significant part of information about the crash has already been collected, [but] it takes time to study some documents." New information about the disaster will be published only after "complex expert work."