Thousands gather to bid farewell to Ebrahim Raisi in Iran's Birjand

In Iran's Birjand, thousands of people on Thursday (May 23) converged to take part in a funeral procession for the late President Ebrahim Raisi.

Mourners pay their final respects

Footage, and images from the scene, show crowds marching next to a vehicle carrying Raisi's coffin through a wide road. Mourners can also be seen holding pictures and banners of Raisi, with some throwing flowers.

The commemoration, as per Reuters, comes before the late president’s burial in his eastern home city of Mashhad. Before this, a funeral ceremony and prayers for him were held in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The ceremony was led by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was attended by 40 foreign dignitaries including officials from Iraq, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Kuwait, Russia, China, Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported the State media.

Ebrahim Raisi death: Cause of crash

On Sunday (May 19) Raisi, along with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six other passengers and crew were killed in a helicopter crash. 

Their aircraft, a US-made Bell 212 helicopter, crashed in the mountains near the Azerbaijan border over the weekend, on Sunday. Its charred remains were found early on Monday.

As per reports, Iran is yet to provide any official word on what may have caused the plane crash. The US has denied any involvement in the crash.

On Monday (May 20), responding to a question on whether he was concerned that Tehran might blame Washington for the crash, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during a press briefing said: "The United States had no part to play in that crash."

"I can't speculate on what may have been the cause," he added. 

He also played down any concerns that the helicopter crash might have any security implications in the Middle East.

"I don't necessarily see any broader, regional security impact at this point," said Austin.

Elections to choose a new president will be held on June 28, according to the state media. In the meantime, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as the interim president of Iran. Additionally, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri has been appointed as acting foreign minister.