20.05.2024, Tehran.
A mourning rally with the participation of hundreds of residents of the Iranian capital is held in Vali Asr Square in the center of Tehran, in memory of those killed in the crash of a helicopter carrying the country’s president Ebrahim Raisi, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on May 20.
The helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan Province in northwestern Iran on May 19 killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdollahian, and several other officials.
Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansouri on May 20 confirmed the death of the country’s president with a delegation that was returning from Azerbaijan.
A farewell ceremony for the victims is scheduled for May 21, after which the president’s body will be sent to his hometown of Mashhad.
Families of citizens came to Vali Asr Square, a reporter said. Many held placards with portraits of the victims of the plane crash, images of Iran’s previous and current Supreme Leaders – Imam Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – and photos of Qasem Suleimani. Suleimani, a famous commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) special unit, was killed on January 3, 2029 as a result of a US operation at Baghdad airport.
Many people are dressed in mourning and crying. The host of the rally warmly recounts the labors and merits of the departed president in the silence of the crowd.
The crowd reacts by raising a clenched fist and pledging allegiance to the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, when Iran’s enemies are named more harshly from the stage.
Under Iran’s constitution, new elections must be held within 50 days of the announcement of the president’s death. All this time the president’s duties are transferred to the first vice-president – Mohammad Mokhber.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
