By Jaime León
Tehran, May 23 (EFE).- With hundreds of thousands of participants, and receiving international delegations and allies from the region, Iran has wanted to portray an image of strength and continuity during the funeral ceremonies for late president Ebrahim Raisi in the face of uncertainty caused by the loss of a leader.
The death of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in a helicopter crash on Sunday comes at a time of high tension in the Middle East and with the succession of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, 85, in the background.
Raisi, a 63-year-old ultra-conservative, was among the favorites to succeed Khamenei, although it was not certain – nor is it now – who is going to be the next strongman of the Islamic Republic.
His death forces the country to hold a snap presidential election at a time of great discontent among citizens due to social and political repression, in addition to a poor economic situation, which predicts low participation.
GATHERINGS OF SUPPORT
Faced with these uncertainties, the Islamic Republic has organized large gatherings of support for the funeral ceremonies of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian and the others who died in the accident in the northwest of the country.
The country has held massive funeral processions in Tabriz, the city closest to the site of the accident, Qom, a sacred city in Shia Islam, Tehran, Birjand and later Thursday in Mashhad, a place of enormous religious importance, where Raisi will be buried.
In Tehran, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets Wednesday in a procession organized by the authorities, who had called on the public to attend the events and declared it a public holiday.
In Iran, public rallies have great political and social importance since they were one of the decisive factors in the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
“Raisi was elected in lowest turnout presidential election in Iran’s history. As his funeral indicates, that does not negate 1) that conservatives do have support base, b) establishment can still mobilize sizeable crowds,” wrote Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor from the regional media outlet Amwaj.
The ultra-conservative president came to power in the 2021 elections that had 48 percent participation and after the reformist candidates, who supported a certain opening of the country, were vetoed.
During his mandate, repression against critics, activists and journalists, and especially against women over the lack of wearing the hijab, intensified, sparking the largest protests against the Islamic Republic in years and which resulted in 500 deaths.
This lack of popularity among a large section of the population was also seen Wednesday in some areas of Tehran, where many people took advantage of the day off to go to cafes and restaurants, unrelated to the funerals, highlighting the division in the country.
INTERNATIONAL RECEPTION, EXTERNAL CONTINUITY
In addition to the massive gatherings of Iranians in the streets, around 60 international delegations paid their respects to Raisi and his late companions at Tehran’s International Conference Center.
Among them, leaders from Iraq, Armenia, Pakistan, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Syria and Georgia stood out, as well as the foreign ministers of Venezuela, Turkey, Egypt, Belarus, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka.
They were joined by representatives from Nicaragua, China, Russia, Algeria, Serbia and regional Iranian allies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.
Some of the visitors met with Khamenei, which served for the country’s highest authority to reiterate the continuity of the country’s foreign policy.
“(Interim President Mohammad) Mokhber, who, as stipulated in the Constitution, is in charge of the country’s executive affairs, will uphold the late president’s policies and beliefs regarding Palestine with the same drive and spirit,” the ayatollah said in a meeting with Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
The same message was conveyed to Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and to Armenia’s President Nikol Pashinyan, although it was perhaps best explained by Interim Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani.
“The foreign policy outlined by the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution will be pursued with strength and resolve,” the diplomat said in statements to Iranian media. EFE
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