ORA gigantic crowd gathered this Wednesday in the center of Tehran for the funeral procession of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, died on Sunday in a helicopter accident.
Also present were the high command of the army and the Guardians of the Revolution, and the head of the political arm of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and the number two of Lebanese Hezbollah, Naim Qassem.
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“We are convinced that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to support the Palestinian people,” declared Haniyeh, who spoke briefly, amid shouts of the
crowd that asked: “Death to Israel.”
These movements, members of the so-called axis of resistance against Israel, are supported by Iran in the context of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Many raised huge banners honoring the late president and waved Iranian flags, AFP journalists noted.
The rescue operation, made difficult by rain and fog, involved dozens of teams and had the help of Turkey, Russia and the European Union.
On Monday morning, state television announced the death of the 63-year-old president, elected in 2021 and considered one of the favorites to succeed Khamenei, 85.
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Ramsi will be buried on Thursday in his hometown
From Tehran, the remains of Raisi and his entourage will be transferred to the province of South Khorasan and from there to Mashhad, Raisi’s hometown, where he will be buried on Thursday.
Mass funerals are part of a deep-rooted tradition since the founding of the Islamic Republic in Iran and have a political overtone.
After Abdollahian’s death, the position of Foreign Minister will be occupied by Ali Bagheri, until now deputy to the chancellor and main negotiator of the Iranian nuclear program.
The ultraconservative Raisi succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani in 2021 at a difficult time for the country’s economy, decimated by the sanctions imposed by Washington against the Iranian nuclear program.
During his mandate he faced a wave of protests in 2022 following the death of the young woman in police custody. Mahsa Aminian economic crisis aggravated by US sanctions and increased tensions with its sworn enemy, Israel, over the war in Gaza.
Iran’s allies such as Russia, China and Venezuela expressed their condolences, as did regional powers and movements related to Tehran.
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