Iran Holds Funeral for Late Supreme Leader Khamenei Amid Ongoing War and Mourning]

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran began a dayslong funeral Saturday for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike that marked the opening phase of the Iran war on February 28. He was 86.

Authorities displayed Khamenei’s casket in a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, drawing crowds of mourners who wept and chanted, “Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!” Some carried banners and flags while billboards across the city featured images of Khamenei. Attendees participated in traditional Shiite mourning practices, including rhythmic chest-beating.

“We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion,” said Ali Kazemi, who traveled from Tabriz, 530 kilometers northwest of Tehran.

The funeral, expected to draw millions in attendance reminiscent of the 1989 burial of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, comes as Iran’s government seeks to solidify domestic support while negotiating with the United States over a permanent end to hostilities. Organizers provided water and cold drinks to help attendees cope with summertime heat.

Iran scheduled the funeral’s start on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the United States’ creation. During the ceremony, crowds chanted “Death to America,” echoing decades-old rhetoric from the 1979 Islamic Revolution. At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed attendees at Mount Rushmore, declaring, “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral.”

In Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, some mourners held a banner reading “#KillTrump.” Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities across Iran and neighboring Iraq. Streets and airspace in Tehran remained closed during the mourning period.

It remains unclear whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will attend his father’s funeral. Mojtaba Khamenei’s late wife is among those displayed at the ceremony. Iran’s military command warned Israel and the United States on Thursday to avoid “any miscalculation” in the coming days, following repeated Israeli threats against Mojtaba Khamenei.

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