Iran chopper crash: Funeral ceremonies begin for late President Raisi, others

Funeral events in honour of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have commenced in Iran following his death in a helicopter crash.

The ceremonies started amid extensive investigations into the cause of the aircraft that went down in a remote mountainside during foggy weather on Sunday morning.

Raisi’s death alongside other high-ranking officials, including the country’s foreign minister, has left the Islamic Republic in a state of mourning.

According to Mohsen Mansouri, the head of the funeral planning committee and Iran’s vice president of executive affairs, the ceremonies will begin with funeral prayers and a procession in the northwestern city of Tabriz, the largest city in the mountainous northwestern region of Iran where the chopper crashed.

The victims’ bodies will be moved later that day to Qom, a revered Shiite city that serves as a training ground for many of the clerics who make up Iran’s theocratic elite, before being transported to Tehran, the country’s capital.

On Wednesday, there will be significant events at Tehran’s massive Grand Mosallah Mosque. Mansouri declared a national holiday and ordered businesses throughout to close on that day to allow for processions.

Then, according to Mehr News, Raisi’s body would be transferred to Mashhad’s famed Imam Reza shrine, where Ayatollah Khamenei will lead prayers.

His death sparked both domestic and international reactions – with several of Iran’s allies sending both condolences and praises. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un all released statements praising Raisi’s legacy and hailing him as a “friend.”

In his message, Kim called Raisi “an outstanding statesman and a close friend of the (North Korean) people,” adding that the leader had “made a great contribution to the cause of the Iranian people for safeguarding the sovereignty, development and interests of their country,” according to North Korean state media KCNA.

‘We are free from Raisi’s death’

Meanwhile, the United States government has broken the silence following the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of top Iranian officials including President Raisi

While offering its condolences, Washington declared that it had no hand in the helicopter crash over the weekend that killed the Iranian leader and several others.

When asked if U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was worried that Tehran would place the blame on Washington, he responded, “The United States had no part to play in that crash.”

“I can’t speculate on what may have been the cause,” he added.