Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, is being laid to rest today amidst an outpouring of grief from world leaders. The crash, which occurred in a mountainous and forested area in East Azerbaijan province, also claimed the lives of Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six others.
President Raisi’s funeral will be held at 9:30 am Iran time in Tabriz, and will be attended by top government officials and dignitaries. The Islamic Revolution Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has declared five days of national mourning following the president’s death.
World leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have expressed their condolences to the government and people of Iran.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has also extended his condolences, describing President Raisi as a leader who was passionately committed to the development of Iran. The African Union and the European Union have also expressed their sincere condolences.
The cause of the crash is still unknown, but Iran’s former Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has suggested that US sanctions, which prohibit Iran from purchasing US-built aircraft, may be partly to blame. The US has imposed various sanctions against Iran since the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Iran’s Military Chief of Staff, Mohammad Bagheri, has ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, Iran’s first Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, has been appointed as Acting President of the Islamic Republic, and is expected to serve as caretaker president for some 50 days before a mandatory presidential election.
