Iran begins Ayatollah Ali Khamenei funeral months after Israeli airstrike
Iran has opened a dayslong funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran after his killing in an Israeli airstrike. The mourning unfolds amid war-end talks with the US, threats from Israel and a charged public mood.
Iran on Saturday began a dayslong funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike at the start of the war on February 28. He was 86. Authorities displayed his casket at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran as mourners gathered in large numbers, with the government expecting millions to join the ceremonies.
The funeral opened as Iran marked the start of the mourning on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States. The ceremony came at a time when Iran is trying to negotiate a permanent end to the war with the US, while concerns remain over the possibility of another Israeli attack.
Khamenei's body was placed in a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in the Iranian capital. Mourners wept at the sight, and some chanted, "Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!" Some carried banners and flags, while billboards across Tehran carried Khamenei's image. Crowds of men also beat their chests in mourning. "I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei," said Hananeh Mousavi, 27, who had come with her mother. "I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy."
An outdoor stage at the Grand Mosalla was designed to resemble the stage from which Khamenei once spoke at a husseiniyah in his compound in downtown Tehran. That site was destroyed in the Israeli strike that killed Khamenei and some of his family members. The caskets of his dead family members were placed beneath his own, which had his black turban on top, marking him as a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. Organisers sprayed water on the crowds and handed out cold drinks in the summer heat. "We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion," said Ali Kazemi, who came from Tabriz, about 530 km from Tehran.
A large turnout could strengthen Iran's government as it seeks to use its hold over the Strait of Hormuz in talks with the United States on a permanent end to the war. At the same time, chants of "Death to America!" were heard at the funeral, repeating a slogan long heard in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the US Embassy hostage crisis. At an event in South Dakota in front of Mount Rushmore, US President Donald Trump said, "We knocked the hell out of Iran. They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral." In Tehran, some mourners held up a large flag that read, "#KillTrump."
Khamenei's body will now be taken to cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq. In Tehran, authorities have shut streets, airspace and much of daily life for the mourning period. It remains unclear whether Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will appear at his father's funeral. The late supreme leader had appeared at Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's funeral in 1989, visibly weeping. Mojtaba Khamenei's late wife was among those whose bodies were on display at the Grand Mosalla. On Thursday, after repeated Israeli threats to kill Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's joint military command warned Israel and the US "to avoid any miscalculation" in the coming days.
The funeral began in Tehran with large crowds, emotional scenes and political messages, as Iran mourned Khamenei's death and prepared to take his body to other cities in Iran and Iraq while the country remained under tight restrictions.
With PTI Inputs
Iran on Saturday began a dayslong funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike at the start of the war on February 28. He was 86. Authorities displayed his casket at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran as mourners gathered in large numbers, with the government expecting millions to join the ceremonies.
The funeral opened as Iran marked the start of the mourning on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States. The ceremony came at a time when Iran is trying to negotiate a permanent end to the war with the US, while concerns remain over the possibility of another Israeli attack.
Khamenei's body was placed in a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in the Iranian capital. Mourners wept at the sight, and some chanted, "Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!" Some carried banners and flags, while billboards across Tehran carried Khamenei's image. Crowds of men also beat their chests in mourning. "I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei," said Hananeh Mousavi, 27, who had come with her mother. "I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy."
An outdoor stage at the Grand Mosalla was designed to resemble the stage from which Khamenei once spoke at a husseiniyah in his compound in downtown Tehran. That site was destroyed in the Israeli strike that killed Khamenei and some of his family members. The caskets of his dead family members were placed beneath his own, which had his black turban on top, marking him as a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. Organisers sprayed water on the crowds and handed out cold drinks in the summer heat. "We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion," said Ali Kazemi, who came from Tabriz, about 530 km from Tehran.
A large turnout could strengthen Iran's government as it seeks to use its hold over the Strait of Hormuz in talks with the United States on a permanent end to the war. At the same time, chants of "Death to America!" were heard at the funeral, repeating a slogan long heard in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the US Embassy hostage crisis. At an event in South Dakota in front of Mount Rushmore, US President Donald Trump said, "We knocked the hell out of Iran. They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral." In Tehran, some mourners held up a large flag that read, "#KillTrump."
Khamenei's body will now be taken to cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq. In Tehran, authorities have shut streets, airspace and much of daily life for the mourning period. It remains unclear whether Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will appear at his father's funeral. The late supreme leader had appeared at Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's funeral in 1989, visibly weeping. Mojtaba Khamenei's late wife was among those whose bodies were on display at the Grand Mosalla. On Thursday, after repeated Israeli threats to kill Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's joint military command warned Israel and the US "to avoid any miscalculation" in the coming days.
The funeral began in Tehran with large crowds, emotional scenes and political messages, as Iran mourned Khamenei's death and prepared to take his body to other cities in Iran and Iraq while the country remained under tight restrictions.
With PTI Inputs
