Iran Mourns President Raisi Amid Power Shift and Aging Fleet Concerns
Iran interred President Ebrahim Raisi at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad after he died in a helicopter crash, alongside the country's foreign minister and six others. The mass mourning processions, though significant, did not match the turnout for the 2020 funeral of Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Raisi's presidency was marked by a harsh crackdown on dissent and economic struggles, which were not mentioned in state media coverage. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and heavy security has been deployed in Tehran. Raisi was considered a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.