President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday (May 23) was buried in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad with tens of thousands of mourners gathered in the streets for his funeral, four days after he died in a helicopter crash.&nbsp;

In&nbsp;footages broadcast by the Iranian media,&nbsp;government and military officials, religious personalities were seen attending the burial ceremony.&nbsp;

Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 19 along with foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew.&nbsp;

The helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border while Raisi was returning after the inauguration of a dam at the common border with the Republic of Azerbaijan.&nbsp;

Raisi's death was confirmed Monday morning.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-slams-countries-recognising-palestinian-state-says-it-does-not-promote-peace-724671">Israel slams countries recognising Palestinian state, says move 'does not promote peace'</a>&nbsp;

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had announced five days of public mourning and confirmed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as interim head of the country's executive branch.&nbsp;

After the mourning period, the authorities including the acting president will focus on organising an election for a new president set for June 28.&nbsp;

During the funeral processions, men and women mainly clad in black attire, crowded the main street of Mashhad, which is the Islamic Republic's second city in the northeast where Raisi was born.&nbsp;

The 63-year-old was generally viewed as a potential successor to Iran's supreme leader, who controls ultimate power.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zelensky-claims-russia-taking-advantage-of-its-lack-of-air-defence-by-launching-brutal-strikes-724634">Zelensky claims Russia taking advantage of its 'lack of air defence' by launching brutal strikes</a>&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;'Eager Lion' military exercises in Jordan

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<h2>Iran blames US sanctions for crash&nbsp;</h2>

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former Iranian foreign minister, has blamed the United States sanctions on aviation parts for the crash of the helicopter. In an interview with state television, Zarif said the sanctions compromised Iran's access to modern aviation facilities.&nbsp;

"One of the culprits behind yesterday's tragedy is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts," said Zarif.&nbsp;

Iranian state media reported that the helicopter that crashed in Iran was a Bell 212 model. It is a civilian version of the ubiquitous Vietnam War-era UH-1N "Twin Huey". Such helicopters are in wide use globally by both governments and private operators.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday (May 23) was buried in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad with tens of thousands of mourners gathered in the streets for his funeral, four days after he died in a helicopter crash.

President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday (May 23) was buried in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad with tens of thousands of mourners gathered in the streets for his funeral, four days after he died in a helicopter crash. In footages broadcast by the Iranian media, government and military officials, religious personalities were seen attending the burial ceremony. Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 19 along with foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew. The helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border while Raisi was returning after the inauguration of a dam at the common border with the Republic of Azerbaijan. Raisi's death was confirmed Monday morning. Also read: Israel slams countries recognising Palestinian state, says move 'does not promote peace' Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had announced five days of public mourning and confirmed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as interim head of the country's executive branch. After the mourning period, the authorities including the acting president will focus on organising an election for a new president set for June 28. During the funeral processions, men and women mainly clad in black attire, crowded the main street of Mashhad, which is the Islamic Republic's second city in the northeast where Raisi was born. The 63-year-old was generally viewed as a potential successor to Iran's supreme leader, who controls ultimate power. Also read: Zelensky claims Russia taking advantage of its 'lack of air defence' by launching brutal strikes Watch: 'Eager Lion' military exercises in Jordan × Iran blames US sanctions for crash Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former Iranian foreign minister, has blamed the United States sanctions on aviation parts for the crash of the helicopter. In an interview with state television, Zarif said the sanctions compromised Iran's access to modern aviation facilities. "One of the culprits behind yesterday's tragedy is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts," said Zarif. Iranian state media reported that the helicopter that crashed in Iran was a Bell 212 model. It is a civilian version of the ubiquitous Vietnam War-era UH-1N "Twin Huey". Such helicopters are in wide use globally by both governments and private operators. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran's Ebrahim Raisi buried in Mashhad as mourners pack streets to bid him last goodbye

Taking a strong stance against Islamabad using its consulate for anti-India activities, Iranian officials on 15th August forcibly removed banners from Pakistan's consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad. The anti-India banners on so-called "Kashmir Solidarity day" were removed in the middle of the night from the walls of the Pakistani consulate by the local police.

Iran removes anti-India banners from Pakistan's consulate in Mashhad

Tens of thousands of government supporters rallied across Iran on Friday, swearing allegiance to the clerical establishment and accusing arch-enemy the United States of instigating the biggest anti-government protests for nearly a decade, state TV reported.

Tehran`s Friday prayer leader called on authorities to deal &quot;firmly&quot; with those responsible for igniting over a week of demonstrations, in which 22 people have died and more than 1,000 have been arrested, according to Iranian officials.&nbsp;

&quot;But those ordinary Iranians who were deceived by these American-backed rioters should be dealt with based on Islamic clemency,&quot; cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Tehran university, TV reported.

Khatami also called on the government to &quot;pay more attention to people`s economic problems.&quot;

Protests erupted on December 28 in the holy Shi`ite city of Mashhad after the government announced plans to raise fuel prices and cut monthly cash handouts to lower-income Iranians.

Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working class Iranians voiced anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor.&nbsp;

Some 42,000 people took part in the unrest across the country, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli was quoted as saying by state TV.&nbsp;

To try to allay tensions, the government suspended its planned fuel price hikes and cash handout cuts. Ali Rabiei, Iran`s minister of cooperatives, labour and social welfare, said the government had

plans to create over 900,000 jobs by March 2019, the state news agency IRNA reported on Friday.

Iranian officials said the protests were the result of foreign instigation and mocked US&nbsp;President Donald Trump`s support of protesters against what he called a &ldquo;brutal and corrupt&rdquo; establishment.&nbsp;

The authorities have produced no evidence of any US&nbsp;role in the demonstrations, which have lacked a unifying leader.

Guards quelled unrest

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Iran`s statements that external influences fomented the unrest were not groundless and that Washington used any possible method to destabilise governments it disliked.

He added that US&nbsp;calls for an extraordinary meeting of the UN&nbsp;Security Council to discuss the turmoil in Iran interfered with the country`s sovereignty, news agency Interfax said. The Council met on Friday to discuss Iran.

Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo told the UN&nbsp;Security Council meeting that the United States had abused its power as a permanent member of the Council by calling for a meeting on the turmoil in Iran.

He added that Iran had &ldquo;hard evidence&rdquo; that recent protests in Iran were &ldquo;very clearly directed from abroad&rdquo;.

But US&nbsp;Ambassador to UN&nbsp;Nikki Haley said the United States stood &quot;unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation&quot;.

&quot;We will not be quiet. No dishonest attempt to call protesters `puppets of foreign powers` will change that. The Iranian people know the truth. And we know the truth,&quot; she told the UN&nbsp;meeting on Iran.&nbsp;

Iran`s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on his Twitter account that the meeting was &quot;another foreign policy blunder of US&nbsp;President Donald Trump`s administration&quot;.

Residents contacted by Reuters in various cities said the protests had shown sign of abating since Thursday after the establishment intensified a crackdown on the protesters by dispatching Revolutionary Guards forces to several provinces.

Iran`s elite Guards and its affiliated Basij militia suppressed the country`s 2009 unrest over alleged election fraud, in which dozens of pro-reform Iranians were killed.&nbsp;

United front

On Friday rallies, protesters chanted &quot;Death to America&quot; and &quot;Death to Israel&quot;, carrying pictures of Iran`s top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and waved Iranian flags.

Television footage of rallies in several cities showed people chanting &quot;We support Imam Khamenei ... We will not leave him alone in his fight against enemies&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;Demonstrators demand the punishment of those behind foreign-linked riots which insulted religion and our authorities,&quot; state television reported, referring to unrest in which social media footage showed protesters tearing down pictures of Khamenei.

Hardliner Khatami said the government should take more notice of Iranians` economic problems.&nbsp;

&quot;There are workers who say they have not received their salaries for months ... These problems should be resolved,&quot; Khatami said, according to state TV.

Fearing that further unrest could undermine the Islamic republic altogether, Iran`s faction-ridden political elite has displayed a united front.

But Khamenei and his hardline allies have criticised Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for failing to revive the economy after most sanctions on Iran were lifted in 2016 under a deal reached between Tehran and major powers aimed at curbing the country`s nuclear programme.&nbsp;

Rouhani secured the deal in 2015, raising hopes of better economic times among many Iranians, but discontent has since risen over the lack of broad improvement in living standards.

Ahmed Khatami also called on the government to 'pay more attention to people`s economic problems'

Tens of thousands of government supporters rallied across Iran on Friday, swearing allegiance to the clerical establishment and accusing arch-enemy the United States of instigating the biggest anti-government protests for nearly a decade, state TV reported. Tehran`s Friday prayer leader called on authorities to deal "firmly" with those responsible for igniting over a week of demonstrations, in which 22 people have died and more than 1,000 have been arrested, according to Iranian officials. "But those ordinary Iranians who were deceived by these American-backed rioters should be dealt with based on Islamic clemency," cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Tehran university, TV reported. Khatami also called on the government to "pay more attention to people`s economic problems." Protests erupted on December 28 in the holy Shi`ite city of Mashhad after the government announced plans to raise fuel prices and cut monthly cash handouts to lower-income Iranians. Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working class Iranians voiced anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor. Some 42,000 people took part in the unrest across the country, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli was quoted as saying by state TV. To try to allay tensions, the government suspended its planned fuel price hikes and cash handout cuts. Ali Rabiei, Iran`s minister of cooperatives, labour and social welfare, said the government had plans to create over 900,000 jobs by March 2019, the state news agency IRNA reported on Friday. Iranian officials said the protests were the result of foreign instigation and mocked US President Donald Trump`s support of protesters against what he called a “brutal and corrupt” establishment. The authorities have produced no evidence of any US role in the demonstrations, which have lacked a unifying leader. Guards quelled unrest Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Iran`s statements that external influences fomented the unrest were not groundless and that Washington used any possible method to destabilise governments it disliked. He added that US calls for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the turmoil in Iran interfered with the country`s sovereignty, news agency Interfax said. The Council met on Friday to discuss Iran. Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo told the UN Security Council meeting that the United States had abused its power as a permanent member of the Council by calling for a meeting on the turmoil in Iran. He added that Iran had “hard evidence” that recent protests in Iran were “very clearly directed from abroad”. But US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley said the United States stood "unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation". "We will not be quiet. No dishonest attempt to call protesters `puppets of foreign powers` will change that. The Iranian people know the truth. And we know the truth," she told the UN meeting on Iran. Iran`s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on his Twitter account that the meeting was "another foreign policy blunder of US President Donald Trump`s administration". Residents contacted by Reuters in various cities said the protests had shown sign of abating since Thursday after the establishment intensified a crackdown on the protesters by dispatching Revolutionary Guards forces to several provinces. Iran`s elite Guards and its affiliated Basij militia suppressed the country`s 2009 unrest over alleged election fraud, in which dozens of pro-reform Iranians were killed. United front On Friday rallies, protesters chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel", carrying pictures of Iran`s top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and waved Iranian flags. Television footage of rallies in several cities showed people chanting "We support Imam Khamenei ... We will not leave him alone in his fight against enemies". "Demonstrators demand the punishment of those behind foreign-linked riots which insulted religion and our authorities," state television reported, referring to unrest in which social media footage showed protesters tearing down pictures of Khamenei. Hardliner Khatami said the government should take more notice of Iranians` economic problems. "There are workers who say they have not received their salaries for months ... These problems should be resolved," Khatami said, according to state TV. Fearing that further unrest could undermine the Islamic republic altogether, Iran`s faction-ridden political elite has displayed a united front. But Khamenei and his hardline allies have criticised Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for failing to revive the economy after most sanctions on Iran were lifted in 2016 under a deal reached between Tehran and major powers aimed at curbing the country`s nuclear programme. Rouhani secured the deal in 2015, raising hopes of better economic times among many Iranians, but discontent has since risen over the lack of broad improvement in living standards.

Iran stages pro-government rallies, cleric urges punishment for protest leaders

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