Iran (IMNA) - The ceremony took place at Shahid Doran Air Base in Shiraz, where military officials, local authorities, members of the armed forces, and large numbers of civilians gathered to pay tribute to the Iranian Air Force pilot. His return marked the end of months of uncertainty over his fate and was described by participants as a significant moment for both his family and fellow servicemen.
According to Iranian military authorities, Brig. Gen. Kazemi was one of the pilots flying a Sukhoi Su-24 fighter bomber during an operation carried out on the third day of the recent conflict, in which Iranian forces targeted the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Iranian officials portrayed the mission as a response to what they described as American aggression.
The Army announced that the pilot's remains had been identified through DNA analysis and repatriated to Iran. Efforts to determine the fate of three other Iranian pilots involved in the same mission are reportedly continuing.
The reception ceremony was held near the memorial of an unknown martyr inside Shahid Douran Air Base before the coffin, draped in the Iranian flag and accompanied by the pilot's flight helmet and uniform, was transferred to the base's Sahib al-Zaman Mosque for further commemorative services.
Military personnel performed ceremonial honors, while mourners offered flowers, recited prayers, and paid their respects. The event was attended by senior provincial officials, including the governor of فارس Province, judicial authorities, military commanders, and religious officials, alongside hundreds of citizens.
The pilot's mother, who had spent months awaiting news of her son, was present during the ceremony and thanked those attending to honor his memory.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Mohammad Mehdi Rahimi, head of the ideological-political office at Shahid Doran Air Base, said the legacy of fallen servicemen continues through the next generation of Air Force personnel. He drew parallels between martyred Kazemi and the late Iranian war pilot Abbas Doran, whose actions during the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War remain widely commemorated in Iran.
Iranian authorities announced that memorial ceremonies for Brig. Gen. Kazemi will continue in Shiraz on Thursday and Friday, including public mourning events attended by military officials and members of the public before his final burial.
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