High-ranking officials from at least 68 countries attended the funeral procession of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on Wednesday. The ritual was held hours after hundreds of thousands of people took part in a funeral procession in the Iranian capital for Raisi and others killed in a helicopter crash.
According to reports, these foreign dignitaries were received by acting President Mohammad Mokhber, acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, and other government officials.
Those who attended the ceremony included Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Azerbaijani Premier Ali Asadov. The President of Tunisia Kais Saied, Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, and the parliament speakers of Lebanon, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Mali, Russia, and Uzbekistan also attended and paid their tributes. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also took part in the ceremony. Attendees included the foreign ministers of Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Venezuela, and Jordan.
Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, also attended the ritual and held a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the sidelines of the funeral rites.
Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian and others were killed after their helicopter crashed in north-western Iran on Sunday due to inclement weather conditions.
Authorities have ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Raisi will be airlifted to the north-eastern city of Mashhad on Thursday morning and laid to rest in the shrine of Imam Reza, where he served as a custodian from 2016 to 2019.
Amir-Abdollahian will be buried at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine in southern Tehran on Thursday morning, as per his family’s wish.