'Ebrahim Raisi used pager, its explosion likely to have caused chopper crash,' claims Iranian MP

Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian parliament, has claimed that a pager, similar to those allegedly used by Hezbollah, may have detonated inside the helicopter of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, leading to its crash in May.

This theory echoes recent incidents involving Hezbollah in Lebanon, where pagers and walkie-talkies reportedly exploded during attacks on September 16 and 17, resulting in 39 deaths and over 3,000 injuries. While Israel is widely believed to be behind the attacks, it has not confirmed or denied involvement.

In a statement to Iranian media, Ardestani speculated, "One likely scenario regarding the deadly helicopter crash that killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi is the explosion of his pager."

He acknowledged that while Raisi's pager might differ from those used by Hezbollah, the possibility of a similar device malfunctioning and causing the crash is under consideration. 

This theory gained traction after a photo of Raisi with outgoing Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halboosi went viral, showing a pager in the background. However, it is unclear if the device in the image is the same brand used by Hezbollah fighters.

Despite these speculations, the Iranian government released a final investigation report earlier this month attributing Raisi's helicopter crash to severe weather conditions, including thick fog.

The official explanation emphasizes that adverse weather was the primary cause of the tragedy, leaving little room for theories involving external sabotage or pager-related explosions.