Iran Mourns Late President Raisi: Funeral Procession and Investigation underway

The late President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage, who tragically died in a helicopter crash, were honored in a memorial ceremony led by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The ceremony, attended by tens of thousands of mourners, took place at the University of Tehran before a procession to Azadi Square.

The caskets of Raisi and the seven others killed in the crash were draped in Iranian flags with their pictures on them. Security was tight in the area, with heavy security measures and thousands of people pouring in to pay their respects.

Guests at the memorial event included prominent figures such as Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh, Turkey’s vice president and foreign minister, and the deputy prime minister of India. Khamenei has declared five days of national mourning, with memorials held in Tabriz and Qom before the procession to Raisi’s hometown of Mashhad for burial.

Questions have been raised about the cause of the helicopter crash, with an investigation underway. Raisi, who was elected president in 2021, was widely expected to succeed Khamenei as supreme leader. Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed as caretaker president until the upcoming election for Raisi’s successor.

The nation is mourning the loss of Raisi and his companions, with banners at the procession hailing him as “the martyr of service” and “the servant of the disadvantaged.” Despite his complex legacy, Raisi’s death has brought the deeply divided Iranian society together in grief and reflection on the future of the country.