Iran: Memorial ceremonies for Raisi, Amirabdollahian to be held tomorrow
May 20, 2024
Tehran [Iran], May 20 : The memorial ceremonies for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will take place in the cities of Tabriz and Qom on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported citing the Iranian state media.
The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that a ceremony is planned in the northwestern city of Tabriz in the morning, further followed by a ceremony in the city of Qom, 100km southwest of Tehran.
"The funeral ceremonies for the president and his companions will take place Tuesday at 9:30 am local time (06:00 GMT) in Tabriz," the official IRNA news agency said, adding that Raisi's body will then later be taken to Tehran.
Raisi will be buried in his hometown of Mashhad, in northeast Iran.
According to Al Jazeera, Raisi's mortal remains will be transferred to the city of Mashhad for two reasons: first, it was the hometown of President Ebrahim Raisi who was born and raised there and his political career started there.
Secondly, the city of Mashhad is the most important religious centre in Iran.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Monday said Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has assumed interim duties after Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed to have died in the helicopter crash, a day before, PRESS TV reported.
Meanwhile, the Iranian cabinet has appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani as acting foreign minister following the death of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Khamenei, in a message issued on Monday morning, expressed his great sadness over the deaths and offered condolences to the people of his country.
"In accordance with Article 131 of the Constitution, Mokhber is in charge of leading the executive branch," Khamenei said in a statement. He added that Mokhber will be required to work with the heads of legislative and judicial to prepare for presidential elections "within a maximum period of 50 days," he said.
Earlier today, Iranian state media IRNA shared drone footage shot by the Red Crescent showing the wreckage of the crashed helicopter.
The helicopter carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and his accompanying delegation crashed a day ago in the Dizmar forest, nestled between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in East Azarbaijan Province, state media Press TV reported today. The Iranian President was returning following a visit to Azerbaijan when his helicopter came down in bad weather conditions.
