An unusual request for assistance made by Iran to the United States government wasn't fulfilled.
The request was made after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi went missing in a helicopter crash on Sunday in the country's East Azerbaijan province, according to Reuters.
Raisi was found dead on Monday, according to the Associated Press.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller revealed that the Islamist dictatorship had asked the U.S. to help them in some form in the midst of the incident, Reuters reported.
"We were asked for assistance by the Iranian government," he said.
Miller left the specifics of the request vague while revealing that the United States was willing to help its geopolitical adversary.
Footage from the Thermal-Imaging Camera of the Turkish Bayraktar “Akıncı” Long-Range Surveillance Drone (AKINCI07), showing a Heat Signature which is believed to be the Crash Site of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s Helicopter in Northwestern Iran. pic.twitter.com/mLmW4CvHv6
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 20, 2024
"We did make clear to them that we would offer assistance, as we would do in response to any request by a foreign government in this sort of situation," Miller explained.
However, tangible cooperation between the United States and Iran didn't materialize.
"Ultimately, largely for logistical reasons, we were unable to provide that assistance," he concluded.
It's unclear why the two nations couldn't get on the same page for the project.
The State Department expressed official condolences for Raisi's death in a statement while reaffirming support for human rights of Iranian citizens.
The statement received backlash, and Miller defended offering condolences for Raisi in a Monday news conference.
Reporter blasts Biden's State Department spokesman over offering condolences for Raisi’s death.
REPORTER: What exactly is official condolences?
MATTHEW MILLER: It's condolences on behalf of the United States government.
REPORTER: Official condolences means absolutely nothing… pic.twitter.com/iZIlrsmHOK
— Bobby LaValley (@Bobby_LaVallley) May 20, 2024
Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was also killed in the crash, according to CBS News.
The death of Raisi, a hardliner widely seen as a puppet of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was celebrated by critics of the Iranian regime.
Iranian's celebrating Ebrahim Raisi's crash to death in front of Iranian Embassy in London. pic.twitter.com/WhChAq3PKW
— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) May 20, 2024
The country is slated to conduct elections within 50 days.
Only candidates permitted by Iran's Islamist state clergy will be permitted to run.
