Iran president death latest: Ebrahim Raisi’s funeral procession underway as US says he had ‘blood on his hands’
Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, along with foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, died in the helicopter crash on Sunday
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A funeral procession for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took place in the city of Tabriz on Tuesday, close to the site where his helicopter crashed on Sunday afternoon.
Tens of thousands of people turned out for the event in the capital of the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan, expected to be one of several processions across the country over the coming weeks. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to lead congregational funeral prayers in Tehran after another procession in the holy city of Qom.
Despite the vast turnout, mourning across the country for the hardline leader has been muted. Raisi, nicknamed the “Butcher of Tehran” for his role in executing anti-regime protesters in the 1980s, also presided over a vicious crackdown against further protest in 2022 and last year.
US State department spokesperson Matt Miller said Raisi “has blood on his hands” for his involvement in suppressing dissent.
He described the former hardline cleric as “a brutal participant in the repression of the Iranian people for nearly four decades”.
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Here are some of the latest photos from Raisi’s funeral procession
Below we have some of the latest photos from the funeral procession of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raise, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the six other crew members who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Tens of thousands of Iranians appear to have turned out for the procession, which is being held in the northwestern city of Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province.
The crash site was located nearby on Monday after rescue teams navigated difficult, foggy conditions and mountainous terrain.
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Mapped: Where did Iran President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter crash?
Where did Iran President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter crash?
The helicopter is believed to have crashed around 80 miles from where it took off on Sunday afternoon
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Ebrahim Raisi: Who was the Iranian president killed in fiery helicopter crash?
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How helicopter crash that killed Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi unfolded
Body of the 63-year-old hardliner was found in East Azerbaijan province, state media reports
Russia’s Lavrov on crash that killed Raisi: US sanctions have worsened aviation safety
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, when commenting on the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, has claimed that US sanctions had worsened aviation safety.
White House says Iranian President had ‘blood on his hands’
The White House has been blunt in its description of the Iranian President after it received backlash for offering its condolences to Tehran.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Ebrahim Raisi had “blood on his hands” over the alleged execution of thousands of Iranian anti-regime protesters in the 1980s.
Raisi also presided over a brutal crackdown of another wave of protests in 2022 and early 2023. The Israeli military is believed to have killed hundreds and jailed thousands over those protests, sparked by the killing of a young Iranian woman being held in police custody for failing to wear her hijab properly.
“No question this was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands,” Mr Kirby said.
But he added that “as in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate”.
Here are the latest photos of mourners across the Middle East
Below are the latest photos dropping on the wires of people mourning the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the six other crew members who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Germany's Scholz sends condolences to Iran after president's death
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has offered his condolences to Iran after the death of the Islamic Republic’s president in an air crash, the government press office in Berlin said on Tuesday.
“Our condolences go out to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the families of those killed in the crash,” Scholz wrote to Iran‘s vice-president, according to a brief statement.
Mapped: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s multi-stage funeral
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