Iranian authorities announced that the funeral of President Ibrahim Raisi will take place in Tehran on Wednesday, following his death in a helicopter crash. Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri said on state television, "The funeral procession will be held on Wednesday morning in Tehran" for Raisi and his companions, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who were killed in the helicopter crash.
Earlier, the Director-General of Political and National Affairs for East Azerbaijan Province, Hassan Haghighi, announced that the funeral ceremonies for Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and his companions would be held tomorrow, Tuesday, in Tabriz. Haghighi added that the bodies of the helicopter crash victims will first be taken to the forensic department before being laid to rest in Tabriz.
Media reports suggested that the funeral in Tabriz could be preliminary, before a public funeral in Tehran, and possibly another funeral in Mashhad, Raisi's hometown. The helicopter carrying President Ibrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation crashed in East Azerbaijan Province in northeastern Iran. Raisi was in East Azerbaijan Province earlier on Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev; this dam is the third built by the two countries on the Aras River.
Iran operates a variety of helicopters within the country, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain spare parts for them. The age of its military air fleet largely dates back to before the 1979 Revolution.
