Ayatollah Khamenei to Lead Ritual Prayers at President Raisi’s Funeral


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei will perform the ritual Salat al-Mayyit (prayer for the deceased) at the funeral of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday morning.

Ayatollah Khamenei is planned to lead the prayers at the funeral service of President Raisi and his entourage who were killed in a helicopter crash, due to be held at the University of Tehran at 7 am on Wednesday, May 22.

A helicopter carrying President Raisi crashed in northwestern mountainous forests on May 19.

The fatal accident happened as the president was returning from Khoda Afarin region in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan after inaugurating a dam at the common border with the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The crash killed President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Friday prayers leader of Tabriz Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e-Hashem, Governor of East Azarbaijan Malek Rahmati, the commander of the president’s security team, two pilots and a flight crew.

The president will be laid to rest Thursday at noon in the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, where the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) is located.

Ayatollah Khamenei has offered his condolences on the “martyrdom-like” passing away of the president, declared five days of public mourning, and appointed the first vice president as the manager of the executive power.