Massive Crowds in Tehran for Funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader as Mourners Vow Revenge
Large crowds dressed in black gathered in Iran's capital on Monday for a procession as part of the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Many mourners expressed anger and called for revenge against the United States and Israel, whom Iran accuses of launching an airstrike that killed Khamenei and his family members on February 28.
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, along with those of his family members, was placed on a truck decorated to resemble the ornamental grating surrounding a shrine. The truck slowly made its way through Tehran's streets, with helicopters broadcasting aerial views showing a massive crowd stretching from Azadi Square for several kilometres. Authorities did not provide an immediate crowd count, but the turnout appeared to exceed that of the 2020 funeral for Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani, which drew over one million people.
Iran's theocracy encouraged the large turnout as a sign of strength, amid ongoing negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the war. Mourners carried placards and banners calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One effigy of Trump was seen being hanged.
"Today that we are here for the funeral for our leader, it's a very tough day," mourner Fatima Hassan said. "We are not here to say goodbye to him. We are here for revenge. And we will take revenge."
Attendants sprayed misted water on the crowds to cool them in the heat, while officials urged people to walk slowly and avoid pushing. The coffins were taken on a 12-hour journey to Mehrabad International Airport, and Khamenei's casket was later flown to the Shiite seminary city of Qom for honours on Tuesday. The mourning period, which began Saturday, will end Thursday when Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. He was 86.
"This is the last time I am seeing him," said a weeping Maryam Alizadeh. "Our generation lived with him for decades."
U.S. federal authorities have tracked Iranian threats against Trump and his administration for years, stemming from Trump's 2020 order to kill Soleimani. Iran has repeatedly denied plotting to kill Trump, though hard-line propaganda has suggested otherwise. Trump, during the war, promised to destroy Iran's civilization.
The United States is eager to continue negotiations with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back Tehran's nuclear program, and reaching a permanent end to the war. Talks appear to be on hold until after the burial. The funeral also served as a show of unity as Iran demands control over the strait, a vital waterway that it shut down during the war. The U.S. has rejected those demands.
