Closure of Tehran Stock Exchange, Cinemas, and Sports Events; Internet Disruption and Metro Issues in Western Tehran

Following the air disaster that resulted in the death of Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation, and according to reports from state media, all sports events, cinemas, and the stock market have been declared closed indefinitely. Alireza Salimi stated that public sessions of the parliament have also been postponed to next week. Shortly after the announcement of the cancellation of public sessions, the parliament's presiding board issued a statement that "the public session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly will be held tomorrow." According to the parliament's public relations, the schedule for the closing of the 11th parliament and the opening of the 12th parliament will not change. Citizens reported on social media about slow internet in Tehran and the disruption of Hamrah Aval internet in Rasht, Qazvin, and Mashhad. The suspension of intercity travel routes from the western Tehran area to Golshahr, which played an active role in nationwide protests, also left thousands stranded. According to state media reports, metro trains on the route from Tehran to Golshahr and the western Tehran area have been halted due to a claimed "technical fault." The closure of events and disruptions in urban transportation and internet services come as the Cyber Police and the head of the country's cyber police announced that "we are closely monitoring the virtual space" and warned citizens to "refrain from publishing content that could "stir public sentiment" in the current sensitive situation. According to ILNA's economic reporter, all stock markets have been closed since May 21. Reza Iavazlu, a member of the board of directors of the Securities and Exchange Organization, stated that the reason for this was the death of Ebrahim Raisi and his delegation, adding, "Further information will be provided for the coming days." Additionally, it was announced that "all cinemas in the country have been closed until further notice, and all screenings of both comedic and non-comedic films and plays have been canceled." The announcement stated that "the amount of canceled tickets will be added to the Cinematic account of the buyers." Sports events, which are places for public gathering and expression of joy, have also been closed for a week. Sherwin Asbaghian, Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth, announced that, per the minister's directive, this week's sports competitions have been canceled. He added that "the new competition schedule will be announced by provincial offices and federations." The Tehran and Suburbs Metro Operating Company also announced that currently, it is not possible to dispatch trains from the Sadeghiyeh station to Golshahr, and express trains are not dispatched from Golshahr to Tehran (Sadeghiyeh), and passengers must use buses. According to reports from the Ham-Mihan newspaper channel, passengers on the Tehran to Golshahr line are stranded. Express trains from Golshahr station to Tehran are not being dispatched, and currently, trains on the line are moving at very low speeds. Hours ago, news of the death of Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Mohammad Ali Alhashem, Malek Rahmati, and other passengers of the flight accompanying the head of the Islamic Republic was published in the official media of the Iranian government. Since the news of the incident for Ebrahim Raisi and his delegation was released, Iranian users on social media have reacted widely to this issue. Government opponents expressed their satisfaction with sarcastic and humorous posts, while government supporters responded with "epic" writings regarding the deaths of several Islamic Republic officials. Images of the transfer of bodies after the crash of Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter in East Azerbaijan were shared. The UN Truth-Seeking Committee stated that Raisi's death should not lead to forgetting human rights violations in Iran. Global reactions to the news of Ebrahim Raisi's death and his companions continue. Ali Khamenei appointed "Mokhber" as the interim head of government and declared five days of "public mourning."