Mourners of Raisi followed a lorry carrying the coffins of him and several others through the city while also waving the flag of Iran and holding portraits of the president. Raisi and another 7 people were killed when a helicopter that they were riding on crashed in a mountainous area of Iran on Sunday. However, not all Iranians approved of the president and many even celebrated his death. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated in a speech, “We, the members of the government, who had the honor to serve this beloved president, the hardworking president, pledge to our dear people and leader to follow the path of these martyrs.”
From Tabriz, his body will be taken to Qom, which is the second most sacred city in Iran, after Mashhad. After that, it will then be moved to Tehran, the capital. Processions will take place on Wednesday morning, where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will lead prayers at a ceremony. Raisi’s body will then be buried in his birthplace, Mashhad.
The helicopter had crashed close to the border with Azerbaijan due to Raisi’s original goal of meeting up with the Azerbaijani president. According to local media, he was there to open up two dams. The Iranian Red Crescent confirmed the bodies of the president and others, which they later recovered. State TV also announced his death on Monday, along with saying that elections would take place on June 28. In the meantime, the vice president will appointed to assume interim duties.
