Huge crowds of Iranians thronged the streets of the capital Tehran on Wednesday for the funeral procession of president Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage, who died in a helicopter crash.

In the city centre, mourners clutching portraits of Raisi gathered in and around the University of Tehran, where Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led the prayers.

Ayatollah Khamenei, flanked by high-ranking officials, said prayers over the coffins of the deceased, which included Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister.

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian resistance organization Hamas, and Naim Qassem, the deputy leader of the Lebanese resistance organization Hezbollah, participated in the march.

To cries of “Death to Israel,” Haniyeh addressed the assembly, saying, “I say once again… we are sure that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its support for the Palestinian people.”

On Sunday, while Raisi was returning to Tabriz from a ceremony near the Azerbaijani border, his chopper crashed into a foggy mountainside in northwest Iran.

During a funeral service for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his colleagues who perished in a helicopter crash at the Mosalia mosque in Tehran, a picture of the deceased is visible on a casket. IMAGE: AFP

A massive search and rescue effort was initiated, including assistance from Russia, Turkey, and the European Union. Early on Monday, Raisi’s death was confirmed on state television.

Raisi, who was sixty-three, was most likely going to be the next supreme leader after Khamenei.

Huge banners praising the late president as “the martyr of service” and saying “farewell to the servant of the disadvantaged” have been erected in the nation’s capital.

According to official media, the coffins would be driven from the university to the sizable Enghelab Square in the city center and then to Azadi Square.

Tuesday marked the start of Raisi and his entourage’s funeral ceremonies, gathering tens of thousands of black-clad mourners with processions across Tabriz and the Shiite clerical center of Qom.

The bodies will be transported from Tehran to Mashhad, the northeastern Iranian city that is Raisi’s homeland. On Thursday night, following burial rites at the Imam Reza shrine, Raisi will be laid to rest.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has proclaimed five days of national mourning and named vice president Mohammad Mokhber, 68, as interim president until an election to replace Raisi is held on June 28.

Ali Bagheri, Amir-Abdollahian’s deputy and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, has been appointed acting foreign minister.

An investigation into the reason behind the helicopter accident has been ordered by Mohammad Bagheri, the country’s chief of staff for the armed forces.

At the Mosalia mosque in Tehran, mourners attend a burial service for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his colleagues who perished in a helicopter crash. IMAGE: AFP

Following the moderate Hassan Rouhani, Raisi was elected president in 2021, just as US sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program were crippling the country’s economy.

Global allies Russia, China, and NATO offered their condolences following his passing, and the UN Security Council observed a minute of mourning.

Condolence messages also came in from Iran’s regional allies, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Syrian government.