On the 22nd of May, the funeral service for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was held in Tehran, Iran, amidst a large number of mourners. The service was attended by mourners who filled the venue. The image description mentions that the funeral took place on May 22, 2024, in Tehran. (Source: Reuters=News1)
The funeral procession for President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, was held in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The authorities in Iran observed a temporary public holiday on the same day, holding a funeral service to honor the eight deceased individuals, including President Raisi, at Tehran University in the morning. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, presided over the funeral service.
During the service, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the attendees, including Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, stating, “We have lost a prominent figure. President Raisi was a competent, sincere, and serious public servant.”
Leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Naim Qassem of the Lebanese pro-Iran Hezbollah also attended the funeral. Haniyeh, representing the Palestinian people, expressed belief in Iran’s continued support for Palestine and chanted slogans against Israel.
According to the state-run IRNA news agency, King Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar and Tunisian President Kaies Saied participated in the funeral in the afternoon, while European Union (EU) member countries were notably absent. The acting President of Iran, Mohammad Mokhber, met with the foreign dignitaries attending the funeral.
The funeral site was surrounded by mourning processions wearing black attire, with millions of mourners carrying portraits of President Raisi. Streets in Tehran featured banners calling for honoring the “martyr” and bidding farewell to the unfortunate.
Earlier, President Raisi tragically passed away in a helicopter crash on his return journey from attending the inauguration of the Ghez Galasi Dam in the Barda region of Azerbaijan on the 19th of May.
President Raisi’s body will be transferred from Tehran through the southern province of Hormozgan to his hometown of Mashhad in the northeast before being laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine, a Shia holy site, on the evening of the 23rd.