Iran's Armed Forces downplay role of Turkish drone in finding President's crash site

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Rescue team works following a crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, in Varzaqan, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, May 20, 2024. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo/File Photo

DUBAI (Reuters) - The General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces on Wednesday downplayed the role played by a Turkish drone in finding the crash site of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter, highlighting instead the performance of its own drones.

Early on Monday, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported that a Turkish Akinci drone had identified "a source of heat suspected to be wreckage of the helicopter carrying President Raisi" and shared its coordinates with Iranian authorities.