Egyptian FM lands in Tehran for Raisi's funeral in first since 1980
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Egyptian and Azerbaijani representatives have arrived in Tehran, Iran, for the funeral service of President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions.
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Iranians follow a truck carrying coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions, during a funeral ceremony for them in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (AP)
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in Tehran, Iran on Wednesday to attend the funeral of late President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions, who passed away on Monday in a fatal helicopter crash.
Shoukry's visit marks the first time an Egyptian foreign minister has set foot in Iran since 1980 when Egypt and Iran severed all ties following the Islamic Revolution and Egypt's official recognition of the Israeli occupation.
An Azerbaijani delegation also headed to Tehran for the funeral service of the Iranian officials, led by Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, according to Sputnik.
Tehran bid farewell to Raisi, companions; Sayyed Khamenei led prayer
The Iranian capital, Tehran, bid farewell to the bodies of Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi, his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions, in attendance of officials and crowds of Iranian people who headed en masse to the capital to take part in the funeral services.
As part of the funeral ceremony, the leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic Sayyed Ali Khamenei led the prayers over the bodies at the University of Tehran.
Among the officials who took part in the funeral services in Tehran were the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Qassem. The burial ceremony will also take place in the presence of high-level foreign delegations in Tehran, at 4:00 pm.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
