Thousands Attend Tehran Funeral Procession for Late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
A large crowd gathered in Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with some participants displaying anti-U.S. slogans.
Mourners in black streamed into Tehran on Monday as a flag-draped coffin carrying the body of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was moved through the city. The procession, which began at Azadi Square and continued along a major thoroughfare, was accompanied by a truck designed to resemble the ornamental grating of an imam’s shrine.
State television showed the crowd extending for several kilometers, appearing larger than the turnout for the 2020 funeral of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani. Officials did not provide an official count, but authorities urged participants to walk slowly, avoid pushing and stay near the street edges for safety.
The coffin will travel for about 12 hours before being taken to Mehrabad International Airport for transport to Mashhad, where Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine. Revolutionary Guard General Hasan Hasanzadeh, who is overseeing the procession, said the route would be secured and that streets, airspace and daily activities had been suspended for the mourning period, which began Saturday and is expected to end Thursday.
Some mourners carried placards and banners calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and an effigy of Trump was displayed along the route.
"We are not here to say goodbye to him, we are here for revenge," said Fatima Hassan, a participant.
"We are here to show that his path will continue, and we will avenge his death against the U.S. and Israel," said Sahar Zaraatgar, another mourner.
U.S. authorities have monitored Iranian threats against Trump for years, stemming from the 2020 killing of Soleimani. While Iran has denied plotting to kill the U.S. president, hard-line rhetoric has persisted.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran on issues such as the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear program and a permanent end to the conflict remain stalled, with talks expected to resume after the burial.
