Funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Held in Tehran

• Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik have arrived in Tehran to pay tribute to Raisi and his delegation, who were killed in the helicopter crash.

  The list of attendees extends further with the arrival of Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, and Azerbaijan's Prime Minister Ali Asadov.

  In addition, Russian, Armenian, Iraqi, and Lebanese officials have already arrived in Tehran for the ceremony in honor of the late President Raisi and his accompanying delegation.
  

• On Wednesday Iranian government media outlets published conflicting figures regarding the number of foreign delegations participating in the memorial ceremony for President Raisi in Tehran.

  Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported the attendanceof "50 high-ranking foreign delegations," including leaders, ministers, and parliamentary heads.

  Fars News Agency, another IRGC-linked media outlet, claimed that "more than 40 delegations" would attend to offer condolences.Meanwhile, the ISNA news agency reported a lower figure, citing only 15 senior officials from various countries at the memorial ceremony.

  Notable attendees reportedly include the Emir of Qatar, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Russia’s parliament speaker, the presidents of Tunisia and Tajikistan, and the prime ministers of Iraq, Pakistan, Armenia, Qatar, and Azerbaijan.
  

• A cartoon from the Charlie Hebdo series depicts Iran executing a helicopter as the assassin of President Raisi.

  
  

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani met Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Wednesday (May 22), shortly after Khamenei led a prayer for late president Raisi.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to offer condolences over the deaths of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and others, in Tehran, Iran, May 22, 2024.

Additionally, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad A Thani and the prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani headed to Iran on Wednesday to attend the funeral of Raisi, the Emiri Diwan said.

brHamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh expressed condolences to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a meeting following a funeral procession for Raisi and his delegation in Tehran.

ahiHamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh (center) during a meeting with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on May 22, 2024

Haniyeh, alongside Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's deputy secretary-general, and other representatives of Iranian proxy groups, attended the event in the capital Tehran.

Formed over decades of support from Iran, several groups have coalesced under the banner of the "Axis of Resistance," opposing Israeli and US influence in the Middle East.

The unofficial coalition includes Hamas, which ignited the current Middle East crisis by attacking Israel on October 7, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shiite armed factions in Iraq, and Syria.m

Raisi Held in Tehra