Hamas took part

Shouts of “Death to Israel” at funeral service in Iran

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people in Iran took part in the funeral service for President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in an accident.(Bild: AP)

Tens of thousands of people took part in the funeral service for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday. Among them were the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and the number two of the Hezbollah militia, Naim Qassem. Haniyeh gave a speech that was accompanied by shouts of "Death to Israel".

"We are sure that the Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain its support for the Palestinian people," said the political leader of the terrorist organization Hamas in his speech. Some governments such as the Russian, Turkish and Iraqi governments also wanted to send representatives to Tehran. Today, Wednesday, has been declared a non-working day for the mourning ceremonies.

Tens of thousands of people at the mourning ceremony in Iran(Bild: AP)

Residents of the Iranian capital received messages calling on them to attend the funeral service for the "martyr" Raisi. Tens of thousands attended, holding portraits of the dead president and waving Iranian flags (see video above).

Austria is not sending anyone to the funeral
As reported, Raisi crashed in bad weather on Sunday in north-western Iran on his way to Tabriz in a helicopter. Seven other people died with him, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the head of Raisi's security team and an imam. Their deaths were confirmed on Monday after hours of searching.

An Iranian boy(Bild: AFP/APA/R.Satish Babu)

Politician in Tehran(Bild: AFP/APA/Iraqi Prime Minister‘s Press Office)

One participant brought a cat with her.(Bild: AFP)

The state leadership then declared five days of national mourning. Raisi's body was flown to a Shiite pilgrimage site on Tuesday and he is to be buried in his home town on Thursday. High-ranking representatives of friendly states are expected to attend the funeral, including China's Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing and Russia's Speaker of Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin. According to the Austrian Foreign Office, no one from Austria will be attending the mourning ceremonies.

Not everyone is mourning
While government supporters mourned Raisi's death, others in the country welcomed the politician's loss. Under his government, repression was stepped up and numerous media professionals and activists were imprisoned. The ultra-conservative Iranian had been president since 2021. During his time in office, the country experienced mass protests, an economic crisis and a dangerous confrontation with arch-enemy Israel.