TEHRAN –
Massive crowds gathered in Tehran for the second day of funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with mourners calling for retaliation against the United States and Israel.
The state funeral follows a February 28 air strike that killed Khamenei and several family members, an event that marked the opening day of the US-Israel war on Iran. The Iranian government has initiated a week-long series of processions to demonstrate public loyalty to the Islamic Republic and to the post of supreme leader, the country’s highest authority under its 1979 constitution.
Family Presence and Leadership Transition
Three sons of the late leader-Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud Khamenei-made a rare public appearance during the second day of the ceremonies. State television showed the three men praying behind the coffins situated in the courtyard of the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, underscoring the family’s effort to project unity at a moment of institutional vulnerability.
Among the remains on public display were those of Ali Khamenei, his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and a 14-month-old granddaughter. All were killed in the February 28 air strike, which struck the family compound at the outset of the conflict.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the other son and successor, was absent from the mourning ceremonies. He has not appeared or spoken publicly since his appointment as supreme leader in March by the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body empowered to select and oversee Iran’s highest office. Analysts suggest his absence is a security measure due to reported Israeli threats to his life, but it also means the new leader is relying on tightly controlled, indirect messaging at the start of his tenure.
Scale of Civil Mobilization
The Iranian government is coordinating a massive mobilization of supporters from across the country, providing transport, food, and lodgings to facilitate attendance and signal continuity of state control. Tehran’s metro authority reported approximately seven million passenger journeys between Saturday and Sunday morning, an extraordinary surge that officials highlighted as proof of popular participation.
Mourners arrived carrying Iranian national flags and red flags, which in Shia tradition serve as a symbol for revenge and unfinished bloodshed. Chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” were prominent throughout the gatherings, echoing long-standing slogans of the Islamic Republic but now framed explicitly as calls for retaliation for Khamenei’s killing.
Gholamreza Sabooni, a 29-year-old grocery store employee, told AP news agency: “I came here to shout and seek revenge. They killed our imam, we should kill their leader, [US President Donald] Trump.” His comments reflected the highly charged mood in the capital and the extent to which public grief is being channeled into demands for a response.
Diplomatic and Military Attendance
Following a private lying-in-state ceremony for foreign dignitaries and senior officials, Khamenei’s coffin was placed in a glass enclosure for public viewing, turning the central hall into a stage for both mourning and political signaling.
High-ranking political and military leadership attended the ceremonies, including:
- President Masoud Pezeshkian
- Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
- Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani
Their presence was intended to convey institutional stability across the executive, legislative, and security branches at a time when Iran’s regional posture and domestic security strategy are under scrutiny.
Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a professor at the University of Applied Science and Technology in Tehran, stated that the crowds are sending a clear message that Iranians will not be deceived by diplomatic talks or memorandums of understanding, asserting that “United States and Israeli animosity is not over.” The rhetoric aligns with Tehran’s insistence that any future negotiations will be conducted from what officials describe as a position of “resistance,” even as Western capitals watch for signs of escalation.
National Procession Schedule
The state funeral is structured as a multi-city event spanning six days. The body will be moved through several prominent Shia holy sites across two countries before the final burial, reinforcing both Khamenei’s religious stature and the transnational reach of Iran’s clerical establishment. State media have framed the route as a “farewell tour” designed to allow key constituencies-pilgrims, clerical networks, and security cadres-to publicly affirm allegiance to the new leadership.
The scheduled procession route includes:
- Karbala, Iraq
- Najaf, Iraq
- Qom, Iran
- Mashhad, Iran
The body of Ali Khamenei will be laid to rest on July 9 in his hometown of Mashhad, near the Imam Reza shrine, one of Shiism’s most important pilgrimage sites. Authorities have indicated that security will remain on high alert along the entire route, and that the events are being coordinated closely with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which operates under the direct authority of the supreme leader’s office. For many Iranians, the burial will mark not only the end of a 35-year era of rule, but also a first, closely watched test of how the new leadership intends to balance confrontation and diplomacy in the war’s next phase.
