DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme chief presided over a funeral Wednesday for the nation’s late president, international minister and others killed in a helicopter crash.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei started the service at Tehran College, the caskets of the useless draped in Iranian flags with their footage on them. On the late President Ebrahim Raisi’s coffin sat a black turban — signifying his direct descendance from Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.
In attendance have been prime leaders of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, one of many nation’s main facilities. Additionally readily available was Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, the militant group that Iran has armed and supported throughout the ongoing Israel-Hamas struggle raging within the Gaza Strip. Earlier than the funeral, an emcee led the gang within the chant: “Demise to Israel!”
“I come within the title of the Palestinian folks, within the title of the resistance factions of Gaza … to specific our condolences,” Haniyeh informed these gathered.
He additionally recounted assembly Raisi in Tehran throughout Ramadan, the holy Muslim fasting month, and heard the president say the Palestinian subject stays the important thing one of many Muslim world.
The Muslim world “should fulfil their obligations to the Palestinians to liberate their land,” Haniyeh stated, recounting Raisi’s phrases. He additionally described Raisi calling the Oct. 7 assault that sparked the struggle, which noticed 1,200 folks killed and 250 others taken hostage, as an “earthquake within the coronary heart of the Zionist entity.”
Additionally anticipated to attend companies in Tehran have been Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a delegation from the Taliban of Afghanistan, together with their Overseas Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi.
The caskets of the eight killed will then be taken on a procession via downtown Tehran to Azadi, or “Freedom,” Sq. — the place President Ebrahim Raisi gave speeches up to now.
Iran’s theocracy declared 5 days of mourning over Sunday’s crash, encouraging folks to attend the general public mourning periods. Usually, authorities staff and schoolchildren attend such occasions en masse, whereas others participate out of patriotism, curiosity or to witness historic occasions.
For Iran’s Shiite theocracy, mass demonstrations have been essential to demonstrating the legitimacy of their management since thousands and thousands thronged the streets of Tehran to welcome Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 throughout the Islamic Revolution, and in addition attended his funeral 10 years later. An estimated 1 million turned out in 2020 for processions for the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was slain in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.
Whether or not Raisi, Overseas Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others draw the identical crowd stays in query, significantly as Raisi died in a helicopter crash, gained his workplace within the lowest-turnout presidential election within the nation’s historical past and presided over sweeping crackdowns on all dissent.
Prosecutors have already got warned folks over exhibiting any public indicators of celebrating his dying and a heavy safety drive presence has been seen on the streets of Tehran because the crash.
Raisi, 63, had been mentioned as a doable successor for Iran’s supreme chief, the 85-year-old Khamenei. His dying now throws that choice into query, significantly as there is no such thing as a heir-apparent cleric for the presidency forward of deliberate June 28 elections. Iran now has an appearing president, Mohammad Mokhber, who’s overseeing a caretaker authorities for the approaching weeks.
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Related Press writers Joseph Krauss in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Munir Ahmed and Riazat Butt in Islamabad contributed to this report.
