by INTEL-DROP May 22, 2024
TABRIZ BID FAREWELL TO RAISI AND HIS COMPANIONS…
by INTEL-DROP May 22, 2024
NEHME HAMIE
May,22/2024
PARIS / Before organizing a solemn farewell ceremony for the late Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, in the capital, Tehran, today, Wednesday, as scheduled, after the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, announced five days of mourning, crowds of mourners for the bodies of the president and his seven companions, yesterday, toured the main square of the city. Tabriz, the center of East Azerbaijan Province, northwest of the Islamic Republic, where a helicopter carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and their companions crashed last Sunday. To the main city square, which is the first stop for the funeral ceremonies, before the bodies of the eight martyrs are transported to the city of Qom, and later to the capital, Tehran, where Sayyed Khamenei will perform prayers over them, before they are buried in the city of Mashhad by (tomorrow) Thursday, large crowds of people arrived. The Iranians who came to bid farewell to their president surrounded the eight coffins covered with the Iranian flag with their bodies, waving flags and pictures of the late president, in addition to pictures of his seven companions on their last journey, according to what Iranian media reported. As in Tabriz, sadness fell over various cities and provinces within the Islamic Republic, especially in Mashhad, which had a special place for Raisi.
As the funeral ceremony began, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi praised the lives of the late “martyrs,” stressing that “the Iranian people have shown that they will turn every calamity into a staircase to advance the nation to new glories.” He added, addressing the crowds participating in the funeral: “We, the members of the government who had the honor of serving this beloved president, this hardworking president, commit ourselves before our dear people and our leader to follow the path of these martyrs.” In his speech, he pointed out that “what the martyr president did is an immortal example and an indelible memory from the memory of the Iranian people, of a distinctive model of Islamic government,” recalling the sacrifices of the martyr Qassem Soleimani, who gave “an example of exceptional heroism.” He pointed out that “the martyr Raisi and his companions excelled in presenting an example of service to the people and active diplomacy,” recalling the “historic” speech that the late president gave about Gaza and occupied Palestine, and his courageous defense of them before the whole world. Also, during a television interview, Vahidi referred to the state of grief spreading throughout the Islamic Republic over the loss of its president, considering that the Iranian people are writing another historical epic in the funeral of their martyrs. Based on the merits of the late president, Vahidi confirmed that there is a serious determination to follow Raisi’s path and approach, stressing that there will not be any imbalance in the country, despite his departure.
Muhammad Ali Movahedi Kermani was elected Chairman of the Leadership Council of Experts by a majority of 55 votes
For their part, international leaders expressed their condolences to the Iranian people on the death of their president, led by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in addition to the presidents of Venezuela, Poland, Kenya, and other countries. Among the notable positions was the position of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who decided to “declare a national mourning for one day in order to share the pain of the Iranian people,” stressing that “the contributions of Mr. Raisi and Abdullahian to the relations between Turkey and Iran will always be present in our minds,” as will the position of the President. The Iraqi, Abdul Latif Rashid, confirmed that his country stands by Iran in difficult circumstances. Condolence telegrams to Iran also came from the foreign ministries of a number of countries, such as Switzerland, Turkmenistan, and a number of Latin countries, including Chile and Chile, while the Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, received phone calls with the intention of condolence from his Arab counterparts, including Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal. Bin Farhan, and Qatari Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.
In parallel, and in the presence of the heads of the three authorities, the sixth session of the Iranian Leadership Council of Experts was opened, which had lost two of its members in the presidential plane crash: Raisi, representing South Khorasan, and the late Friday Imam of Tabriz, Muhammad Ali Al Hashem, representing East Azerbaijan. During the session, which was attended by 85 members out of a total of 88 members of the Council, in the absence of Ayatollah Alam al-Huda, who is the representative of Khorasan Province, Muhammad Ali Movahedi Kermani was elected Chairman of the Leadership Council of Experts with a majority of 55 votes. According to the Council’s internal regulations, which are entrusted according to the constitution with the power to elect the Supreme Leader and monitor his performance, Kermani will assume its presidency for a period of two years. The election session for Kermani, one of those close to the Supreme Leader, began with the reading of a letter the latter addressed to the members of the Council, in which he affirmed that “the Leadership Council of Experts is the manifestation of Islamic democracy,” adding that “choosing the leader according to Islamic standards is the task of this Council.”
For his part, and in his message to the members of the Leadership Council of Experts, whose term extends for eight years, and whose members who hold the degree of religious ijtihad are elected by the people, Khamenei pointed out that “the people’s choice and Islamic standards are the most important indicator in the Islamic Republic.” The Supreme Leader also called on consciences around the world to look into what he called “the failed experiments of regimes that claim justice and freedom apart from religious moral values,” considering that these regimes “wreak corruption, injustice, and racism in light of the collapse of moral security and the weakening of women’s status.” In denouncing the duplicity of Western policies, Khamenei considered that “the West’s liberal support for today’s Gaza catastrophe and the unjust genocide carried out by the Zionist entity by killing thousands of children, women and defenseless innocents clearly reflects the meaning of Western freedom and human rights.” At the conclusion of his message to the “Council of Experts,” the Iranian Leader reviewed the merits of the two deceased members of the Council of Experts, Raisi and Al Hashem, asking them for mercy.
Der Friedensstifter 