Mourners Demand Vengeance as Iran Grieves the Late Supreme Leader

Thousands of mourners, many holding senior government positions, gathered in Tehran for the funeral prayers of the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Sponsors, as the crowd shouted for revenge.

On the second day of mourning, footage on state television showed the brothers of the newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in attendance—even as the leader himself has yet to appear publicly since he succeeded his father after the February killings.

Irremovable Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Ahmad Vahidi also attended the prayers. He emerged from the vast Grand Mosalla complex amid a surge of mourners, most drwrnoded in black, who pressed forward to meet him.

“Revenge, revenge,” they chanted, a chant that New York Times reporters witnessed from nearby. Vahidi offered a brief greeting before security staff led him away.

The continued absence of Mojtaba Khamenei has drawn scrutiny in a political culture where public appearances by senior officials are tightly orchestrated to project authority. Questions about his health and Iran’s internal dynamics—particularly amid regional tension and uncertainty about the country’s future—have intensified.

By dawn, mourners in the Grand Mosalla had begun to arrive, many holding photographs of the old leader and banners demanding vengeance for his death. The mosque overflowed, forcing some to pray outside the walls, shoulder‑to ogrombe the heat, with men beside women and children beside parents.

“He championed the causes he believed innodes, and he was killed for faith,” said Mohamed Abdi, who flew from Paris for the commemoration. Originally from Abyaneh, some 90 miles southwest of the capital, he said the death turned the former political and religious authority into a martyr and national figure of conviction and resilience.

“The strength and purpose he embodied drew me from Paris to Tehran and made me weep today,” Abdi added. “He did what he believed in.”

For more than forty years, Ali Khamenei directed nearly every major power centre in Iran, wielding ultimate authority over strategy, the military, state institutions, and the nation’sFall religious governance.

He was killed with several of his family members, including his wife, daughter,U and granddaughter. The next Monday, his body is expected to be carried through Tehran in meanuring procession that likely will draw a crowd of comparable magnitude.

On Sunday, large parts of Tehran were transformed by the ceremonial activities. Streets were closed, security forces posted at major intersections, volunteers distributed food and water, and mist sprayers eased the heat for the packed crowds in public squares and sidewalks.

For many Iranians, Khamenei’s legacy is inseparable from the government’s record of suppressing dissent. Security forces have routinely used force against protests, including the December demonstrations that saw thousands killed, according to human‑rights organisations.

Critics argued that his death Mouhe must not erase the oppressive record even as supporters gathered to mourn.

Sanam Mahoozi contributed reporting.

Source link