Huge crowd in Tehran for funeral of Iranian president

Large crowds gathered in central Tehran on Wednesday to pay their last respects to Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi. “Sacrificer” After his death in a helicopter crash. “A Million Goodbyes”, said state television, welcoming the crowds gathered in the center of the capital. No independent evaluation is available. “I am sad. I came to clear my mind”Maryam, a 41-year-old teacher wearing a chador, had come from a town south of Tehran with her husband and son.

On this declared holiday, the festivities began with a prayer led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who bowed in front of the coffins of the eight people killed in the crash, including diplomatic chief Hossein Amir-Abdullahian. With Roysie, “We have lost a remarkable personality. He was a very good brother. A competent, efficient, honest and serious civil servant.”, he later announced, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, one of the foreign dignitaries present at the event. At the prayer, the Islamic Republic’s high authority was surrounded by senior members of the Shiite clergy, members of the government, including interim president Mohammad Mogbar, and senior officers of the military and Revolutionary Guards.

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, and Naim Qassem, the number two of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, were also present. Even if Raisi is gone, “We are confident that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its support for the Palestinian people.”Haniyeh said shortly before three European countries, Spain, Ireland and Norway, recognized the Palestinian state. Hamas and Hezbollah are part of it “Axis of Resistance” Against the background of the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, particularly with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, is backed by Tehran.

A non-existent European Union

Leaders of countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, including Tunisian President Qais Said and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, attended the afternoon tribute, which was represented by around sixty countries, IRNA reported. Among the participants were the head of Egyptian diplomacy, Sameh Choukry, who does not have diplomatic relations with Iran, as well as representatives of the Afghan Taliban. On the other hand, no country from the European Union was represented at the ceremony, while Tehran’s relations with the West remain very tense.

After the prayer, the crowd moved slowly towards Azadi Square, one of the city’s largest, deserted by cars, where shops lowered their curtains. Many displayed portraits of the late president and Iranian flags, sometimes stylized and colorful, AFP journalists noted. Residents of Tehran received messages calling them on their phones “Attend the Funeral of a Martyr”.

The ceremonies follow the tradition of large gatherings marking the first 45 years of the Islamic Republic, following the death of General Qassem Soleimani, a senior military officer killed by a US strike in Iraq in 2020. Great portraits “Sacrificer” Ebrahim Raïssi was suspended and publicly hanged in major cities. The funeral will take place on Thursday in the late president’s hometown of Mashhad (north-east). Meanwhile, Mr. who will lead Iran from 2021. Officials were busy organizing the process to transfer Raisi. One of President Mogbar’s (68) tasks is to prepare for the June 28 presidential election. At this stage, no political figure has publicly announced their candidacy.

A dozen hours of research

Ibrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday taking him to Tabriz (northwest) after attending a joint inauguration of a dam on their common border with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. It took more than a dozen hours of grueling search operations in the steep and wooded area before the wreckage of the helicopter was found in the early hours of Monday.

The armed forces, which ordered an investigation into the cause of the tragedy, indicated on Wednesday that national drones had been used to locate the helicopter, which a drone equipped with night vision equipment sent by Turkey failed to do. Mr. who came in a helicopter with the President. Golam Hossein Esmaili, Raisi’s chief of staff, said the plane disappeared suddenly without sending any warning signal.