Tehran bid farewell to Raisi, companions; Sayyed Khamenei led prayer
5 Min Read
With Sayyed Ali Khamenei leading the prayer, Tehran bids farewell to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation who died in a tragic copter crash on Monday.
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In this photo provided by Fars News Agency, mourners gather around a truck carrying coffins of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions who passed in their helicopter crash on Sunday in a mountainous region of the country’s northwest, during a funeral ceremony at the city of Tabriz, Iran, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Fars News Agency via AP)
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.
نائب الأمين العام لـ #حزب_الله الشيخ نعيم قاسم ورئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس إسماعيل هنية يشاركان في مراسم تشييع الشهيد الرئيس إبراهيم رئيسي ورفاقه الشهداء في طهران.#الرئيس_الإيراني#حسين_أمير_عبد_اللهيان #إيران pic.twitter.com/GPUe05Xrl0
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) May 22, 2024
Haniyeh offers condolences on behalf of the Palestinian people
Haniyeh delivered a speech during the funeral ceremony at Tehran University, offering condolences on behalf of the Palestinian people, the Resistance factions in the land of Palestine, and Gaza.
Haniyeh said that the late president assured him, during their meeting last Ramadan, that "the Palestinian cause is at the core of the nation’s causes, and that resistance is a strategic option for the liberation project."
He added that Raisi also stressed that “Iran will continue to support the Palestinian Resistance until the aspirations of the [Palestinian] people and the nation are achieved,” and that “Operation Al-Aqsa flood is an earthquake that struck the Zionist entity and caused a historic transformation worldwide.”
Haniyeh, from Tehran, stressed that “Gaza will pursue resistance until all the land, with blessed al-Quds in its core is liberated,” adding, “We are reassured, in the presence of the leaders of the Axis of Resistance, that the Republic will tread on the same policy and principles under the auspices of its leader in supporting Palestine and the Resistance.”
From Tabriz to Qom, a solemn funeral attended by millions
The bodies of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions arrived Tuesday at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran ahead of being laid to rest on Wednesday morning.
The Iranian city of Qom mourned Raisi and his companions in a solemn procession, recognizing their efforts and expressing grief over their loss.
The first stop in Qom was the Fatima Masumeh Shrine, where millions of people gathered in wait since the early morning hours for the arrival of their bodies.
The funeral procession then proceeded through the streets of the city of Qom, arriving at the Jamkaran Mosque.
The city of Tabriz, the capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, bid farewell on Tuesday to President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions.
At the first funeral procession stop, hundreds of thousands of Iranians gathered to bid farewell to the bodies of the deceased.
Following Tabriz, Qom, and Tehran, their final destination is in Mashhad where they will be laid to rest next to the shrine of Imam Ali Ibn Mousa al-Rida.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and accompanying officials passed away in the tragic helicopter crash in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, according to an official statement by Iranian state media.
After locating the helicopter carrying the Iranian President and accompanying officials on Monday morning, Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) issued a preliminary statement noting that there was "no sign of life" found near the wreckage locations.
This announcement came over 16 hours after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps reported they had lost contact with the helicopter carrying the officials. Since then, at least 73 rapid response and rescue teams from the provinces of East Azarbaijan, Tehran, Alborz, Ardabil, Zanjan, and West Azarbaijan were involved in the search and rescue operations led by the Iranian RCS.
Additionally, countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Russia participated in the search and rescue efforts in the province.
According to Iranian state media, the President's helicopter crashed against a mountaintop in the Varzaqan region on Sunday while returning from a ceremony to inaugurate a dam on Iran's border with the Azerbaijan Republic. Iranian state TV mentioned that the helicopter was one of three carrying Raisi and his accompanying delegation of senior officials, which also included Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the Friday Prayer Imam of Tabriz, among other officials.
Following the incident, Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei extended his condolences to the people of Iran over the "martyrdom-like" passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
"With deep sorrow and regret, I have received the bitter news of the martyrdom of the people’s President, the competent, hard-working Haj Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi, and his esteemed entourage," Sayyed Khamenei said addressing the nation as posted on his X account.
Eveyone should pray for the health of these people who are serving the Iranian nation. The nation doesn't need to be worried or anxious as the administration of the country will not be disrupted at all.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 19, 2024
Following the incident, Mohammad Mokhbar was appointed as Iran’s acting president.
As for the minister of foreign affairs' duties, they will be carried out by Ali Bagheri Kani, who is assistant minister of foreign affairs, after he was appointed acting minister of foreign affairs.
Following the appointment of Mokhbar as acting president, the Three Powers Committee in Iran agreed to hold presidential elections in the country on June 28, followed by the appointment of a new president on July 8.
