State television said that Raisi, who had been widely seen as Khamenei’s most likely successor as supreme leader, had received a “million-fold farewell”
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers for the late president Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday as huge crowds thronged the capital Tehran for his funeral procession.
Flanked by top officials, Khamenei said prayers over the coffins of the eight dead from Sunday’s helicopter crash, who also included foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. A sea of mourners filled the open space around Tehran University, where the prayers were held before the funeral procession moved on to Enghelab and Azadi squares.
State television said that Raisi, who had been widely seen as Khamenei’s most likely successor as supreme leader, had received a “million-fold farewell” from the people of Tehran. “We have lost a prominent personality. He was a very good brother. He was an efficient, competent, sincere, and serious official,” Khamenei todl visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani.
The leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, joined the procession, as did the deputy leader of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Naim Qassem. “I say once again… we are sure that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its support for the Palestinian people,” Haniyeh told the crowd to chants of “Death to Israel”.
