TEHRAN: The funeral prayer for the late Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other senior officials was conducted today in Tehran by the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to Iranian media, Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based leader of Hamas, also attended the funeral prayer. Haniyeh expressed condolences to Iran’s leadership on behalf of Palestinian resistance groups over the deaths of President Raisi and the others.
The funeral prayer took place three days after the president’s helicopter crashed in the Varzaghan region of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. The helicopter went down amid heavy fog while crossing mountainous terrain, following an inauguration ceremony for a dam near the Azerbaijan border.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that the bodies of President Raisi and his companions were transported to Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport on Tuesday after a funeral in the northwestern city of Tabriz.
Those traveling with the Iranian president included Supreme Leader’s representative Ali Ale-Hashem, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, two bodyguards, two pilots, and one crew member.
All passengers were declared dead when the charred wreckage of the Bell 212 helicopter was discovered early Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.
The day before, Iran launched an investigation into the crash, with Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri forming a probe committee led by Brigadier Ali Abdollahi. The findings of the investigation will be made public.
Iran is currently observing a mourning period following the crash.
Ghulam Hussain Ismaili, an officer traveling in one of the two surviving helicopters, explained that the president’s pilot was in charge of the three-helicopter convoy. He noted that the weather was clear at takeoff but deteriorated mid-flight, leading the presidential pilot to fly higher to avoid clouds. Shortly thereafter, the president’s helicopter disappeared from sight.
“Our helicopter circled, searching for the president’s helicopter. Due to the heavy clouds, we continued flying high until landing at a nearby copper mine,” Ismaili recounted. Attempts to contact the presidential helicopter by phone were unsuccessful, and it was later confirmed that the helicopter had crashed.
Ismaili revealed that upon discovering the wreckage, it was evident that President Raisi and the other officials had died instantly, with Ale-Hashem succumbing to his injuries several hours later.
