A Nation In Mourning: Historic Funeral For Iran’s Supreme Leader Draws Calls For Justice
The six-day funeral of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei is currently underway, more than four months since he was killed by US – Israeli strikes on Tehran in late February.
The largest funeral crowds yet have been seen in Tehran as hundreds of thousands of people packed the city’s streets hoping to see the coffin of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
After lying in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, Khamenei’s body began a 12-hour journey on Monday through the capital, accompanied by large crowds of mourners.
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Khamenei, 86, was killed in an air strike on February 28, the first day of the war, after ruling Iran for nearly 37 years.
Thousands filled the Grand Mosalla on Sunday to pay their respects to Khamenei and the other remains on display including Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter who were all killed alongside him.
Monday’s procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
The US-Israel war on Iran has been halted during the ceasefire with the US. Both Washington and Tehran have warned they are ready to resume military action, and vengeance has been a major theme at the weeklong ceremonies for Ali Khamenei.
Mourners gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hanged an effigy of US President Donald Trump, according to state media.
Others carried placards with images of US Vice President JD Vance, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the words: “There will be blood.”
Iran’s army chief, Major General Amir Hatami, pledged to never abandon a quest for justice.
“Those who committed this crime must know that the nation of Iran and all of us will never cease in our pursuit of and demand for justice,” Hatami said, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.
As well as laying Khamenei to rest, Iran’s authorities are using the weeklong funeral ceremonies to promote their resilience during a ceasefire with the US.
By Iroko Ayomide Aishat
