The body of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday as part of a multi-day funeral ceremony following his death in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
State media broadcast footage of the presidential plane landing at Mehrabad airport, carrying Raisi’s coffin. Government and military officials, many openly weeping, lined a red carpet as a military escort carried the coffin from the plane. An empty seat on the plane was draped in black cloth with Raisi’s picture placed upon it.
The 63-year-old cleric once considered a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, died alongside Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other high-ranking officials. The crash leaves Iran’s hardline establishment facing an uncertain future amidst rising regional tensions and domestic discontent.
Funeral proceedings began on Tuesday with prayers and a procession in Tabriz, the largest city in the region where the helicopter crashed. Images released by state media showed large crowds lining the streets in the rain as a truck carrying the coffins of the victims drove through the city.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, speaking in Tabriz, praised Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian for their “brave service and diplomacy,” particularly highlighting their support for Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.
The bodies will be taken to the holy city of Qom for prayers at the Fatima Masumeh shrine before large ceremonies in Tehran’s Grand Mosallah Mosque on Wednesday. Offices across the country will close for a public holiday to allow for processions.
Raisi will be laid to rest at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, where Ayatollah Khamenei will lead prayers.
The cause of the crash, which involved a decades-old helicopter carrying numerous senior officials, remains unclear. The military has appointed a commission of experts to investigate the incident, and a high-ranking delegation will visit the crash site in Eastern Azerbaijan.
