According to Reuters, Turkey's Anadolu Agency and other media reports, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin responded on the 20th local time to the death of Iranian President Lehi in a helicopter crash on the 19th, saying that the United States "played no role" in the accident and denied any connection between the United States and the accident.

According to Anadolu Agency, Austin made the remarks at a briefing with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Brown. He called the accident "very unfortunate" and said the United States would wait for the results of Iran's investigation into the crash.

"The United States played no role in this crash." Reuters reported that when asked if he was worried that Iran might blame the United States for the incident, Austin said this and said he "could not speculate on possible causes."

The report added that Austin also downplayed US concerns that the crash of the Iranian president and others could have a direct impact on Middle East security. "At this point, I don't see any possible broader regional security impact," he said.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Iran's Islamic Republic Broadcasting and Television said on the 20th that the helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahyan and other senior officials crashed in the northwestern East Azerbaijan Province on the 19th, killing all on board. Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei announced a five-day national mourning.

There are many speculations about the crash. Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on the 20th that the helicopter accident in which Iranian President Raisi and other senior officials were riding was related to the long-term US sanctions on Iran. The Islamic Republic News Agency of Iran quoted Zarif as saying that the US sanctions on Iran's aviation industry and the prevention of Iran's imports from abroad were one of the factors leading to the crash. Cedric Stewart, a retired US Air Force officer and military analyst at CNN, speculated that the helicopter that Leisi and others were riding might be a Bell 212 helicopter, which was put into use in the 1960s. Due to US sanctions, Iran has difficulty obtaining spare parts. The factors of the aircraft itself and weather conditions may have caused the helicopter to crash.

According to reports from the U.S. Capitol Hill newspaper and Turkey's Anadolu Agency, on the 20th local time, the White House denied the claim that "U.S. sanctions were one of the factors that led to the accident in the helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi and other senior officials," calling the claim "groundless."

In addition, just as the US responded to the crash of the Iranian president and others, according to media reports, on May 20, local time, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing that day that the Iranian government had sought assistance from the United States to find the helicopter carrying Iranian President Leahy. Miller said that the United States had previously made it clear to the Iranian government that it would provide assistance, but "for logistical reasons" the United States ultimately failed to provide such assistance.