Foreign Leaders, Militants Attend Funeral Of Iran’s President Raisi

Iran International Newsroom
Acting President Mohammad Mokhber greeting the speaker of Russia's parliament Vyacheslav Volodin, May 22, 2024.
Acting President Mohammad Mokhber greeting the speaker of Russia's parliament Vyacheslav Volodin, May 22, 2024.

Leaders and officials from Iran’s allies and terror proxies attended the funeral of President Ebrahim Raisi killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

The high profile attendees included figures such as Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan and UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, with the prime ministers from Iraq and Pakistan also joining, in addition to the Tunisian president.

There was a marked absence of western democratic leaders and dignitaries, reflecting Iran’s isolation on the world stage. Dozens of the world’s democracies have imposed sanctions on Iran due to its military support for Russia in its war on Ukraine, its funding of terror proxies and its nuclear program, in addition to its horrific domestic human rights record.

Meanwhile, the ceremony was attended by controversial Iran-backed terror group figures such as Naim Qassem, deputy secretary general of Lebanese Hezbollah, and Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas.

The Wednesday morning funeral, held at Tehran University, saw Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei leading prayers over the bodies of Raisi and the delegation he was traveling with, including foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Iranian media outlets have reported widely differing numbers of foreign delegations attending the ceremony with some claiming as many as 50 high-ranking groups, while others reported significantly lower participation.