Al-Sudani to attend Raisi's funeral in Tehran: source

Shafaq News/Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani will head to the Iranian capital, Tehran, to attend the funeral of late President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, a government source revealed earlier today, Tuesday. 

Earlier today, Iran began funeral processions Tuesday for President Ebrahim Raisi, as the country grapples with the fallout from his sudden death at a time of heightened regional tensions and domestic uncertainty.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared five days of national mourning for Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six others killed in the helicopter crash in a remote part of northwest Iran on Sunday. The shock incident wiped out two of the Islamic Republic's key political figures, raising questions about its leadership beyond Khamenei, its ultimate authority.

Thousands of mourners gathered for the first funeral event early Tuesday in Tabriz, the closest major city to the crash site.

Crowds of people filled the area of the procession, with some carrying posters of the deceased as the vehicle carrying the coffins of those killed in the crash moved by.

The bodies will then be taken to the holy city of Qom in the afternoon.