Four people were killed on Tuesday in Iran when an Iranian army air force helicopter crashed into a fruit market in the central province of Isfahan, according to official media.
According to the official IRNA news agency, the crash was caused by “a technical malfunction” and claimed the lives of the pilot, co-pilot, and two fruit merchants on the ground.
The catastrophe happened in the Isfahan province’s city of Khomeynishahr.
Iran, which is under sanctions, has experienced a number of aviation mishaps in recent years, and officials have expressed dissatisfaction about the challenge of obtaining replacement parts to maintain its aging fleets in the air.
During a late-night training exercise in the western Hamedan province on Thursday, an Iranian fighter plane crashed, killing one of the two pilots on board, according to Iran’s state TV.
Iran threatened on Monday to retaliate “ferociously” against any attack from the US and repeated its warning of a regional conflagration in response to President Donald Trump’s latest threat of strikes.
Following a US official’s confirmation that talks will restart on Thursday, the belligerent rhetoric from both Tehran and Washington coincided with the adversaries’ preparation for indirect negotiations in Geneva on a possible agreement involving Iran’s nuclear program.
University students have begun the new semester with anti-government rallies, resurrecting chants from statewide demonstrations that peaked in January and were met with a fatal crackdown, despite US pressure on Iran supported by a Middle East military buildup.
Trump stated last week that he was considering a limited assault in the event that Iran failed to reach an agreement. However, Tehran’s foreign ministry stated on Monday that any strike, whatever its scope, “would be regarded as an act of aggression.”
“And any state would react to an act of aggression… ferociously, so that’s what we would do,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
Iran has noted it will be ready to deliver a draft proposal for an agreement on its nuclear program to mediators in the coming days. Trump said on Thursday that Tehran had at most 15 days to make a deal.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian use, but the West believes it is aimed at building an atomic bomb.
Washington wants to talk about Tehran’s missiles and its backing for militant organizations in the region, even though Iran has removed everything other than the nuclear problem from the bargaining table.
Last Monday, the two nations wrapped up a second round of indirect negotiations mediated by Oman in Switzerland.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, described the restart of negotiations as “a new window of opportunity,” but he also cautioned that if his nation is attacked, there may be a regional crisis.
“The consequences of any renewed aggression wouldn’t remain confined to one country, and responsibility would rest with those who initiate or support such actions,” Gharibabadi said.
Iran’s growing anxiety over the possibility of war has prompted other nations to take preventative action.
India called on its nationals to leave Iran on Monday, joining Sweden, Serbia, Poland, and Australia.
