The former president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, was laid to rest in the most sacred Shi’ite shrine in the country this Thursday. His death came about as a result of a devastating helicopter crash, claiming the lives of not only him but also the foreign minister of Iran, and six others. Raisi’s remains were interred at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, a notable pilgrimage site where the eighth Imam of the Shi’ite faith is buried, drawing millions of devotees every year.
A throng of numerous mourners, mostly dressed all in black, gathered beneath the shrine’s gilded dome. While these memorial services have attracted considerable attention, the number of attendees has failed to rival the crowd amassed for the Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani’s services in 2020. Soleimani was slain by a US drone strike in Baghdad.
In the midst of Iran’s sorrowful period, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is intensifying his efforts for the anticipated UK election campaign focused around fiscal matters. This reduction in the turnout could indicate public sentiments regarding Raisi’s presidency, a tenure marked by a severe governmental crackdown on any disagreement, particularly in response to the 2022 protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. Amini was arrested under the accusation of not adhering to the mandatory hijab rule prescribed by the authorities.
Discussion of the economic distress shackling Iran along with the rigid repressiveness of Raisi’s regime were conspicuously absent from the state-supervised TV broadcasts and press coverage. Mention was also conspicuously absent of Raisi’s role in the execution of roughly 5,000 dissenters towards the climax of the Iran-Iraq war. There is also no news concerning the cause of the Bell helicopter crash that killed Raisi and others in an obscure, mountainous region.
The legal system has cautioned citizens against openly rejoicing over Raisi’s death, while a reinforced security deployment has been observed in Tehran following the accident. Raisi, who died at the age of 63, was perceived as a potential replacement for Iran’s sitting Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is now 85. The 28th of June has been stipulated as the date for the impending presidential election, however, there remains no discernible frontrunner among the political elites of Iran, particularly one who resembles Raisi, a Shi’ite cleric.
Muhammad Mokhber, the interim president, has made his inaugural appearance in a meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Raisi marks the maiden high-ranking politician to be granted the distinctive honour of a burial at the shrine, a position enhanced by his father-in-law’s role as the city’s Friday prayer leader.
The passing of Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian coincides with Iran’s ongoing support for militant groups across the Middle East, aimed at exerting influence over its adversaries, specifically Israel and the United States. Both nations were the focal points of public outcry during the funerary rituals.
Photos were disseminated by national media on Thursday, showcasing a meeting between the chief of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the leader of its Quds Force, and representatives from groups including Hamas, Hizbullah from Lebanon, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
On Thursday morning, an assembly of mourners garbed in black congregated along a key thoroughfare in Birjand. Raisi had previously represented this city in the Assembly of Experts in Iran’s South Khorasan province bordering Afghanistan. Mourning ceremonies in both Birjand and Mashhad saw locals approach a lorry transporting his casket, some offered scarves and other tokens in the hope of receiving blessings.
In other news, earlier foreign ministers Mohammed Javad Zarif, Ali Akbar Salehi and other notable figures extended their condolences to Mr Amirabdollahian at Iran’s foreign ministry. His casket, displayed momentarily, was later relocated for interment in Shahr-e Rey, near Tehran, at the Abdol Azim shrine. This shrine is noted as a burial spot for prominent figures in Persian history.
As Mr Amirabdollahian’s casket made its final journey, a spiritual vocalist bid him to “Give Soleimani our greetings”. – AP