Iranian President laid to rest in Mashhad after fatal crash

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, was buried on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad following a two-day funeral ceremony attended by thousands.

Read More: Iranian President Raisi, delegation die in helicopter crash

Raisi, 63, perished on Sunday along with the Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six other individuals when their helicopter crashed in a mountainous region in northwestern Iran, returning from a dam inauguration ceremony on the Azerbaijan border.

Read More: Diplomatic legacy of Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian

Raisi’s final resting place is in the shrine of Imam Reza, one of the Shiite imams, located in Mashhad, the city of his birth.

Iranian media shared images on Wednesday showing officials in Mashhad preparing for the funeral's final day, with large portraits of Raisi and black flags adorning the streets around the Imam Reza shrine.

Huge crowds gathered in Tehran on Wednesday to honor the late president, who was referred to as “the martyr” by officials and the media.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who Raisi was widely expected to succeed, led the funeral prayer over the bodies of Raisi and his entourage, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Abdollahian was also buried on Thursday at the shrine of Shah Abdul Azim al-Hasani in Shahr al-Ray, south of Tehran.

High-profile Funeral Attendance

The funeral, held on Wednesday afternoon in Tehran, was attended by notable figures such as Tunisian President Kais Saied, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh.

Read More: Global reaction for death of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, delegates

A senior delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday attended the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran.

Read More: Top KRG delegation attends Raisi’s funeral

The delegation includes Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, President Nechirvan Barzani, Mustafa Said Qadir, Vice President of Kurdistan Region, and Qubad Talabani, Deputy of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister and Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed.  

According to the IRNA news agency, representatives from about 60 countries participated in the ceremony.

However, representatives from European Union countries were absent, while non-EU countries like Belarus and Serbia were present.

The Iran’s Supreme Leader declared five days of official mourning and appointed Vice President Mohamed Mokhber, 68, as acting president until elections are held on June 28 to choose Raisi's successor.

Initially scheduled for next year, the presidential elections were advanced due to the incident, raising concerns about the succession.

Public Reaction and Concerns

At the Tehran funeral ceremony, 31-year-old Mohsen expressed concern, saying, "How do we find someone like him? I am very worried about that. In my estimation, we do not have anyone else of his stature."

Elected in 2021, Raisi succeeded moderate Hassan Rouhani while Iran grappled with US sanctions over its nuclear activities, widespread protests, and an economic crisis.

Following his death, condolences poured in from allies such as Russia and China, regional powers, NATO, and the UN Security Council, which observed a minute of silence.

Messages of sympathy also came from regional allies including the Syrian government, Palestinian Hamas movement, and Lebanese Hezbollah.