Mourners packed downtown boulevards and squares in #tehran, where the bodies of #soleimani and five others killed alongside him awaited burial. Thousands were seated on the ground listening to speeches from Soleimani’s daughter Zainab and Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the #palestinian #hamas group.

Iran’s Supreme Leader #ayatollah Ali Khamenei performed prayers beside the caskets that were held at Tehran University, often a forum for Friday prayers. #khamenei was surrounded by officials, including President Hassan #rouhani and Soleimani’s successor, Esmail Ghaani.

The caskets were then raised and carried through the crowds. Soleimani is due to be buried Tuesday in his southeastern hometown of Kerman.

U.S. President Donald #trump tweeted on Saturday that he had included #iranian cultural sites in his list of 52 targets for attack should Tehran retaliate against the U.S.’s assassination of Iran’s top military commander, Qassem Soleimani.

The prospect of an assault on sites like the ancient ruins of Persepolis or the immaculately tiled porticos of Esfahan’s 500-year old Naqshe Jahan Square triggered an immediate backlash across Iran, transcending the country’s deep political divisions.

Rescue teams are searching into the night to try to locate Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi after his helicopter crashed on his way back from a visit to the country’s northwest.

There was dense fog in the region, making conditions difficult for search teams, state media said, without giving a direct cause for the incident on Sunday. Iran’s government spokesman, Ali Bahadori Jahromi, said late in the evening on X that there were “no new updates” and that the country was grappling with a “difficult and complicated situation.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged people to pray for Raisi’s health and said there “won’t be any disruption to the country’s affairs” as a result of the incident, according to a statement shown on state TV.

Raisi’s air fleet consisted of three helicopters with high-ranking officials including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Amirabdollahian was believed to be on board Raisi’s aircraft at the time.

A United Nations tribute to Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash this month, showcased deep divisions in the world body, as many nations praised his legacy while the US and Israel boycotted the event.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-19/air-fleet-of-iran-s-raisi-involved-in-incident-iranian-state-tv?srnd=homepage-americas&sref=omvmmwIg

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