Massive crowds thronged the streets of Tehran for the funeral procession of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage, who perished in a helicopter crash.
On Wednesday, mourners clutching portraits of Raisi gathered in and around the University of Tehran, where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the prayers. Khamenei, flanked by top officials, prayed over the coffins of the deceased, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
The crash occurred on Sunday when Raisi’s helicopter hit a fog-shrouded mountainside in northwestern Iran as he was returning to Tabriz after a ceremony near the Azerbaijan border. A massive search and rescue operation was launched with assistance from Turkey, Russia, and the European Union. State television announced Raisi’s death early Monday.
Raisi, who was widely expected to succeed Khamenei as supreme leader, was 63. In Tehran, huge banners hailed the late president while others bid “farewell to the servant of the disadvantaged.” Residents received phone messages urging them to attend the funeral of the “martyr of service.”
Funeral rites for Raisi and his entourage began on Tuesday with processions through Tabriz and the Shia clerical center of Qom, drawing tens of thousands of black-clad mourners. From Tehran, the bodies will be taken to Mashhad, Raisi’s hometown in the northeast, where he will be buried after funeral rites at the Imam Reza shrine.
Following Raisi's death, global allies Russia and China, as well as NATO, sent their condolences. The UN Security Council observed a minute’s silence in his honor.
 |
| Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leads a funeral prayer for late President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials killed in the helicopter crash [Handout/Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images |
null
 |
| People hold portraits of Raisi as they mourn during the funeral procession |
null |
| In Tehran's city centre, mourners clutched portraits of Raisi as they gathered in and around the University of Tehran |
 |
| Raisi's helicopter crashed into a fog-shrouded mountainside in northwestern Iran on Sunday as he headed back to the city of Tabriz after attending a ceremony on the border with Azerbaijan. |
 |
| Iran declared five days of mourning and encouraged people to attend the public mourning events. [Majid Asgaripour |
 |
| Mourners hold up an Iranian flag as they attend the funeral procession in Tehran |
 |
| Mourners attend the funeral procession. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters |
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment