- The funeral procession was marked by chants of “Death to America” and the carrying of coffins.
- Iran’s acting president, Mohammad Mokhber, openly wept during the service.
- Mass demonstrations have been crucial for Iran’s Shiite theocracy to demonstrate their legitimacy.
Authorities had issued warnings against demonstrations against the funeral procession and posting insults online. Ayatollah Khamenei recited the standard prayer for the dead in Arabic, saying, “Oh Allah, we didn’t see anything but good from him.” Iran’s acting president, Mohammad Mokhber, stood nearby and openly wept during the service.
People then carried the coffins out on their shoulders, with chants of “Death to America” heard outside. They loaded the coffins onto a trailer for a procession through downtown Tehran to Azadi Square, where Raisi had given speeches in the past. Top leaders of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, one of the country’s major power centers, were in attendance.
Additionally, the militant group that Iran has armed and supported during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Haniyeh, widely considered Hamas's overall leader and a prominent member of the movement since 1980, was designated as a terrorist by the US Department of State in 2018.
“I come in the name of the Palestinian people, in the name of the resistance factions of Gaza...to express our condolences,” Haniyeh said.
He also described meeting Raisi in Tehran during Ramadan, the holy Muslim fasting month.
He said he heard the president say that "the Palestinian issue" remains the key one of the Muslim world, which "must fulfill their obligations to the Palestinians to liberate their land".
Raisi was reported to have referred to Hamas' October 7 attack in Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages, as an "earthquake in the heart of the Zionist entity." Also anticipated to participate in the Tehran services were Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a delegation from the Taliban of Afghanistan, including their Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi. Iran’s theocracy announced five days of mourning following Sunday’s crash, urging people to attend the public mourning sessions.
Government employees and schoolchildren typically attend such events en masse, while others participate out of patriotism, curiosity, or to witness historic events. Mass demonstrations have been crucial for Iran’s Shiite theocracy to demonstrate the legitimacy of their leadership since millions thronged the streets of Tehran to welcome Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and also attended his funeral 10 years later.
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