Funeral Ceremonies for Iranian President Raisi’s Death Begin

May 21, 2024 Hour: 7:17 am

On Tuesday, Iran began the funeral ceremonies for President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

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The events commenced in Tabriz, the capital of the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan and the largest city near the crash site in the mountainous area of Varzeqan.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Tabriz to see the truck carrying the coffins of eight of the nine people who died in the crash, in a procession that started from Shohada Square and headed to the grand mosque Mosala.

The streets were a sea of turbans, the garment worn by clerics in the Islamic Republic, and photos of Raisi carried by those attending the events.

A sea of people in mourning floods the streets in Iran as President Raisi’s funeral procession begins pic.twitter.com/Ee3ChFrWWL

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May 21, 2024

In the city, shops, schools, and government offices were closed on the second of five days of mourning declared by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

The coffins will be transported to the city of Qom on Tuesday afternoon and then to Tehran on Wednesday morning.

Subsequently, an event will be held in the city of Birjand, where Raisi was a representative in the Assembly of Experts, and finally, the deceased will be buried in the city of Mashhad.

The helicopter carrying Raisi and his companions disappeared on Sunday while returning from Tabriz along with two other helicopters, which reached their destination without issues.

Over hundreds and thousands of people have gathered in Tabriz Iran for President Raisi. Footage shows the ceremonial truck carrying the fallen heads of state, with traditional Iranian funeral songs playing.

Source: Tasnim pic.twitter.com/ylTHgha050

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May 21, 2024

The aircraft —a U.S.-made Bell 212 acquired in the 1970s— was found a day later with the lifeless bodies of its occupants.

The crash also killed the governor of East Azerbaijan, Malik Rahmati, the Friday prayer leader of the city of Tabriz, Mohammad-Ali Al-Hashem, as well as two pilots of the aircraft, a flight attendant, the head of presidential security, and a guard.

On Monday, Khamenei approved the appointment of First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as interim president of the country. Iran will hold presidential elections on June 28.

Two nations, two revolutions, two countries that were born to be brothers. Is how the President @NicolasMaduro defined relations between Venezuela and Iran in front of his Iranian counterpart, #EbrahimRaisi, during the Persian president’s visit to Venezuela pic.twitter.com/zQj2lvLNWK

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May 21, 2024