The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, presided over the funeral of the late President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran this Wednesday, in an event attended by the country’s political and military staff, as well as regional allies such as the political head of Hamas.
Khamenei prayed at the University of Tehran before the coffins of Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdolahian and the other six who died in the helicopter crash last Sunday in the northwest of the country.
The highest authority was flanked by the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Baqeri; the head of the Judiciary, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei, and the president of Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, among others, according to local television.
The event was also attended by the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who came to “offer the condolences of the anti-Israel Resistance groups” and the deputy secretary general of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem.
About twenty international delegations
After the prayer presided over by Khamenei, a procession of the eight coffins began from the University of Tehran to Azadi Square, where thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to Raisí, the ultra-conservative president who came to power in 2021 in the elections with the highest participation. low in the history of the Islamic Republic.
This same afternoon another funeral ceremony will be held in honor of the deceased with the presence of several international leaders and about 20 international delegations.
A large number of leaders and foreign ministers have arrived in Tehran to participate in the funerals.
The prime ministers of Iraq, Armenia, Pakistan, Qatar and Azerbaijan have already landed in Tehran or will do so in the next few hours, in addition to the presidents of Tajikistan and Tunisia, according to Iranian media such as the IRNA agency.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the deputy prime minister of Economic Affairs of the Taliban interim government, will also attend the funeral services; the president of the Duma (lower house of the Russian Parliament); the Indian vice president and the Chinese vice prime minister, among others.
Senior officials from groups allied to Tehran in the region will also have a prominent place, such as the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and the deputy secretary general of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem.
The cause of the helicopter accident, which the official IRNA agency has described as a “technical failure,” is still being investigated.
Yesterday, Khamenei approved that the first vice president, Mohamad Mojber, be named interim president of the country until the presidential elections, announced for next June 28, are held.
Source: EFE
