State media describe the procession as the largest public gathering in modern Iran, with mourners demanding justice and chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans.
Hundreds of thousands of mourners filled the streets of Tehran on Monday as Iran began the main funeral procession for its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with the capital witnessing one of its largest public gatherings in recent years amid heightened regional tensions.
The funeral procession, expected to continue for 10 to 12 hours, follows a nearly 10-kilometre route through central Tehran before concluding near Mehrabad International Airport. Iranian state media, including Press TV and Tasnim News Agency, reported that millions of people had gathered for the ceremony, describing it as the largest public gathering in the country’s modern history.
Television footage broadcast by Iranian state media showed a ceremonial vehicle carrying several coffins draped in the Iranian national flag, including that of Khamenei, moving slowly through densely packed crowds. The sides of the vehicle were partially open, allowing mourners to view the coffins as the procession advanced through the capital.
The main procession route and adjoining streets were reportedly packed with mourners, most of them dressed in black. Water mist was sprayed over sections of the crowd to help people cope with temperatures that were forecast to reach around 37 degrees Celsius.
Many participants were seen carrying anti-US and anti-Israel placards while chanting slogans, including “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. according to CNN. Some banners also criticised US President Donald Trump.
Senior Iranian officials used the occasion to reiterate calls for accountability over Khamenei’s assassination. Iran’s Army Chief Major General Amir Hatami said the country would continue pursuing 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 was quoted as saying by Press TV. He added that Iran would continue its efforts until those responsible were held accountable.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached with the United States as “an achievement for the axis of resistance”, referring to the network of Iran-backed groups across the Middle East, Press TV reported.
Khamenei was killed along with several members of his family in an airstrike during the conflict that followed the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel and Iran earlier this year. His funeral comes at a time when tensions remain high despite recent diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing further escalation.
Earlier on Sunday, three sons of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud — were reportedly seen offering funeral prayers beside their father’s coffin, along with the coffins of four other family members, during a ceremony at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla. Iran’s state television broadcast the prayers, while Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as the country’s Supreme Leader, was not seen at the event, raising dobuts ove his health.
