Enormous crowds of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran to pay their respects during the funeral procession of President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions, who tragically perished in a helicopter accident. In the heart of the city, mourners, holding portraits of Raisi, gathered around the University of Tehran on Wednesday, where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the funeral prayers alongside high-ranking officials. Khamenei solemnly offered prayers for the deceased, which included Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, as they lay in their coffins. The helicopter carrying Raisi crashed into a mist-covered mountainside in northwestern Iran on Sunday while returning from a ceremony on the Azerbaijan border. A vast search and rescue operation ensued, with assistance from Turkey, Russia, and the European Union. Raisi’s passing was announced by state television early on Monday. Raisi, aged 63, was widely seen as the prospective successor to Khamenei as supreme leader.
Throughout Tehran, towering banners honoring the late president adorned the streets, while others bid farewell to “the champion of the underprivileged.” Residents received messages urging them to join the funeral proceedings to honor the “martyr of service.” The funeral rites commenced on Tuesday with processions in Tabriz and Qom, attracting tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black. Following ceremonies in Tehran, the remains will be transported to Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and Raisi’s hometown, for burial at the Imam Reza shrine.