Iran’s late President, Ebrahim Raisi, is being laid to rest in his home city of Mashhad, four days after he tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash. The 63-year-old hard-line cleric will be buried in the holy shrine of Imam Reza, a revered figure in Shia Islam.
Large crowds gathered in the streets of Mashhad ahead of the ceremony, as TV pictures showed the somber scene. Raisi was not alone in the crash, as seven other individuals lost their lives in the tragic accident that occurred during bad weather in Iran’s mountainous north-west.
Among the victims was Raisi’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was buried on Thursday at the Shah Abdolazim shrine in Rey, a suburb of Tehran. The burial of Ebrahim Raisi at the gold-domed Imam Reza Shrine, considered the holiest in Iran, follows days of mourning and ceremonies held in his honor.
Leaders and dignitaries from Iran’s allies and neighbors attended a commemorative event in Tehran, where Raisi’s former First Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, 68, assumed the role of acting president until the upcoming election on 28 June. Representatives of the “Axis of Resistance,” a network of armed groups supported by Iran, were also present at the event.
Despite the government and state media portraying the funeral processions as demonstrations of national unity, many people chose to stay home, with some even celebrating the president’s death. Raisi faced criticism during his presidency for his handling of protests and alleged involvement in mass executions in the 1980s.
As investigations into the cause of the helicopter crash continue, Iranian authorities have revealed that the aircraft hit a mountainside in fog and heavy rain while en route to Tabriz. The tragic incident took the lives of several prominent figures, leaving a nation in mourning for their loss.
