Malaysian prime minister speaks to interim Iranian president amid mourning for Raisi's death

By Muhammed Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke Tuesday to Iran’s interim President Mohammad Mokhber to express condolences on the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Anwar conveyed sympathies and announced on X that Malaysia would send Mohamad Sabu, the country’s agriculture and food security minister, to Raisi’s funeral in Tehran.

Reflecting on past meetings with Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian in New York and Riyadh, Anwar reaffirmed Malaysia's "commitment to the agreements" made under the deceased president's leadership.

Mokhber said he appreciated Malaysia's support, according to Ibrahim, highlighting the strong political and economic ties between the two nations.

The two sides are committed to strengthening the relationship between Malaysia and Iran, said Mokhber.

Funerals for Raisi and other officials who died in a helicopter crash began Tuesday in the northwestern city of Tabriz.

Tens of thousands of Iranians, including senior officials and military commanders, gathered in Martyrs Square to witness the funeral rites.

The bodies will be later flown to the central Iranian city of Qom -- home to one of the revered shrines and religious seminaries where Raisi studied.

Following a second funeral in Qom, they will be taken to Tehran, where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to lead congregational funeral prayers.

On Thursday, according to an itinerary, Raisi will be taken to his hometown of Mashhad for burial at the revered shrine of Imam Reza.

Raisi, the eighth Iranian president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, served as custodian of the Imam Reza shrine for years before becoming the country's judiciary chief in 2019 and president in 2021.

After a nightlong search operation hampered by bad weather, Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian and other top officials were declared dead early Monday.

Dozens of emergency rescue teams were dispatched to the mountainous area in East Azerbaijan province, where the accident occurred Sunday.

Mokhber, who is the first vice president, will assume powers of the presidency until new elections are held, according to the Iranian Constitution.