In a tragic incident, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian lost their lives on Monday after their helicopter crashed in a mountainous area in East Azerbaijan province. Along with them, six others, including crew members, also perished in the accident. The Bell 212 helicopter, believed to be decades old and manufactured in the United States, was flying amidst dense fog when the crash occurred.

The impact of foreign sanctions on Iran has severely affected its aviation sector, making it difficult for the country to acquire aircraft parts or new planes. Since the imposition of the first US sanctions in 1979, Iran's economy has suffered, and its airlines have borne the brunt of the sanctions.

Over the years, Iran has witnessed numerous aviation accidents, with a total of 253 plane crashes claiming 3,335 lives between 1979 and 2023, as reported by the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives (B3A) based in Geneva. The government's inability to import new planes immediately after the sanctions in 1979 led to a surge in deadly aircraft accidents throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.

Key to the US sanctions on Iranian aviation is the prohibition on importing planes or aircraft equipment with more than 10 percent US parts. This restriction has not only prevented Iran from purchasing new Western planes or helicopters but has also made it challenging to procure necessary parts for maintaining its aging fleets. Even sourcing Russian jets, which are less reliant on US parts, proves difficult despite the close ties between Tehran and Moscow.

As of April 2019, 23 Iranian airlines operated 156 planes out of a total of 300 in the country. This indicates that nearly half of Iran's aircraft remained grounded due to the lack of replacement parts, as stated by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The frequent need for repairs has led to higher ticket prices and placed economic strain on smaller aircraft companies. Furthermore, repairing aircraft locally is the only option due to the inability to send them abroad for maintenance.

In 2015, the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed, providing some relief for Iran's aviation sector. Under the agreement, Iran suspended the production of nuclear weapon materials, and in return, sanctions on its aviation sector were eased, allowing the purchase of aircraft from foreign manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing.

However, these advancements were short-lived as sanctions were reimposed when the US withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 during the presidency of Donald Trump. Despite placing orders for over 200 aircraft from Western firms during that brief period, Iran only received three Airbus jets and 13 ATR turboprops – smaller planes – before the sanctions were reinstated.

The devastating helicopter crash involving President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian highlights the challenges faced by Iran's aviation sector under sanctions and the impact of aging fleets. With limited access to new aircraft and difficulty sourcing replacement parts, Iran's aviation industry continues to struggle, leading to increased risks and economic strains.