TEHRAN: Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei held a funeral ceremony for the deceased Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and others who died in a helicopter crash in the border area between Iran and Azerbaijan. The funeral prayers were held at Tehran University, with caskets covered in Iranian flags and adorned with pictures.
The funeral prayers for the Iranian President, foreign minister, and others who died on Sunday air-crash were performed on Wednesday morning. President Raisi will be buried in his hometown of Mashhad.
Earlier, millions of people in Tabriz bid farewell to the deceased. At Tehran airport, the armed forces presented a guard of honor as the bodies arrived. People also visited the shrine of Hazrat Masooma in Qom city.
Millions of people in all major cities of Iran expressed their devotion to their leader. On President Raisi’s coffin was placed a black turban, signifying his lineage to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“Oh Allah, we didn’t see anything but good from him,” Khamenei said in Arabic in the standard prayer for the dead. He soon left, and the crowd rushed to the front, reaching out to touch the coffins. The acting president, Mohammad Mokhber, stood nearby and wept during the service.
People carried coffins on their shoulders and chanted, “Death to America!” They placed them on a semitruck trailer and drove through Tehran to Azadi Square, where Raisi used to speak.
The leaders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a powerful group, were in attendance.
Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas was also present, while Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and the Taliban from Afghanistan, including their Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi, were also expected to attend the services in Tehran.
Iran declared five days of mourning over Sunday’s crash and encouraged people to attend public mourning sessions. Government employees and schoolchildren usually attend such events in large numbers, while others participate out of patriotism, curiosity, or to witness historic events.
On Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister were killed in a helicopter crash in steep terrain and freezing conditions. Multiple Iranian news agencies reported on Monday that search teams found the charred wreckage of the helicopter in the province of East Azerbaijan.
“President Raisi, the foreign minister, and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,” an Iranian official told media persons, requesting anonymity due to the delicate nature of the situation.
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