International Delegations Attend Funeral of President Irani

On Wednesday, the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was celebrated in the presence of numerous foreign leaders who showed their support for the Islamic Republic.

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Raisi died on Sunday along with Foreign Affairs Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian and six other passengers in a helicopter accident due to causes that have not yet been clarified.

The funeral ceremonies began early in the morning with a prayer presided over by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the University of Tehran, which was attended by the Iranian political and military leadership and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Later, an eight-coffins procession began from the University of Tehran to Azadi Square, in a march in which hundreds of thousands of people participated to bid farewell to Raisi.

Some 50 international delegations paid their respects to Raisi at the Tehran International Conference Center. Among them, the prime ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Pakistan, Qatar, and Syria stood out, as well as the foreign ministers of Belarus, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Sri Lanka, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil's text reads, "On behalf of President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan people, we are in Iran attending the funerals of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other martyred victims. On this day, we honor the life and legacy of a prominent global leader and defender of anti-imperialist peoples. Venezuela reiterates its commitment to friendship and solidarity with Iran, remaining a faithful and constant ally."

There were also representatives from Algeria, China, Nicaragua, Russia, and Serbia and from regional forces allied to Iran such as Hamas, the Houthis of Yemen, or Hezbollah.

They all paid their respects before the coffins of the deceased and then greeted the acting Iranian president Mohamad Mojber who will hold office until the June elections.

In meetings with international visitors, Khamenei confirmed that Iranian foreign policy will continue the guidelines outlined by the Raisi administration.

“Mojber will continue the late president's policies and directions regarding Palestine with the same motivation and spirit,” he told Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

During his presence in Tehran, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil also participated in the ceremonies and recalled Raisi's importance in contemporary international politics.

“With great wisdom, Raisi defeated a U.S.-sponsored campaign of hate, fear, and discredit against his country. With his deeds and his presence, he showed all the strengths of Iran and the honorable role of it in the world," Gil said.

The funeral ceremonies began on Tuesday in the cities of Tabriz and Qom and will continue on Thursday when Raisi will be buried in the city of Mashad, in the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth imam of the Shiites, a place of great religious symbolism.