Khamenei Leads Massive Memorial for Late President Raisi

Khamenei

Khamenei Leads Prayers for Late President Raisi in Massive Memorial

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has led prayers at a memorial ceremony for late President Ebrahim Raisi, who perished in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The ceremony, held at the University of Tehran, saw tens of thousands in attendance, stretching from Enghelab Square to Azadi Square.

“Oh Allah, we didn’t see anything but good from him,” said Khamenei, honoring Raisi and his seven companions who also died in the crash. Among the deceased was Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. Their caskets, draped in Iranian flags, were a somber sight, with their pictures prominently displayed.

Tens of Thousands Pay Tribute

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Freedom Square, described the heavy security presence. “The streets are completely closed to the traffic, [with] heavy security measures here, several security checkpoints, and you can see thousands and thousands of people are already pouring into this area.”

The memorial was attended by numerous international dignitaries, including Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh, Turkey’s vice president and foreign minister, the deputy prime minister of India, the head of the Russian Duma, the Iraqi prime minister, and representatives from the Taliban.

“We have lost a prominent personality. He was a very good brother. He was an efficient, competent, sincere, and serious official,” Khamenei conveyed to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani. Haniyeh expressed condolences on behalf of the Palestinian people and the resistance factions of Gaza, recalling a recent meeting with Raisi during Ramadan where Raisi affirmed that Palestine was the key issue of the Muslim world.

National Mourning Declared

Khamenei has declared five days of national mourning. Memorials began on Tuesday in Tabriz and Qom. Iranian media reported that the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has halted all cultural and artistic activities, including concerts, for seven days. Cinemas are closed, all Cultural Heritage Week events postponed, and sports competitions suspended.

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Raisi’s body will be transported to his hometown of Mashhad for burial at the Imam Reza Shrine. The remains of the others killed will also be sent to their respective hometowns for burial.

Investigation Underway

State television announced Raisi’s death on Monday, following the crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in northwest Iran. The crash has prompted an investigation ordered by the country’s armed forces chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri. Questions have arisen about the safety of the two-blade Bell 212 helicopter, believed to be decades old.

Foreign sanctions on Iran have hindered the country’s ability to obtain aircraft parts or new aircraft, complicating aviation safety. Raisi, elected in 2021, was a potential successor to Khamenei as supreme leader. His death leaves a complex legacy, marked by a deepening economic crisis and a harsh crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022.

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Khamenei has appointed Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as caretaker president until the June 28 election for Raisi’s successor. Al Jazeera’s Serdar highlighted the political division in Iranian society, with decreasing voter turnout in recent elections.

“The political establishment here is going to mobilize all the means and capabilities in trying to bring that turnout high and show that the nation is united behind the political establishment,” Serdar reported.

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