Hundreds Of Thousands Attend Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Funeral Procession In Tehran

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Monday for a funeral procession for Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose casket was carried through the city in a public procession strictly choreographed by the Iranian government.

The Christian Science Monitor described mourners sweltering beneath a cascade of flower petals and rose water as chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel” echoed through the streets.

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The Inquirer reported that the procession would later take Khamenei’s body to several cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq before he was buried in his hometown, Mashhad, in northeastern Iran.

Armenpress said Iranian authorities expected between 15 million and 20 million people to take part in the mass procession, with coffins carried from Damavand Highway along central Enghelab Street to Azadi Square over a route of about 15 kilometers.

The Christian Science Monitor said Khamenei was targeted in the first Israeli salvo of the war in late February, and that the Islamic Republic’s leaders and commanders survived a 40-day onslaught aimed at regime change and at decimating Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.

As Iran held funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his threat of further military action against Iran, telling reporters in the Oval Office on July 6, “We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job.”

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, called Trump’s threat “delusional,” adding, “Iranians are unfamiliar with the language of threats.”

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The Inquirer said talks between Iran and the United States have been paused until after the funeral ceremonies, and that they have failed to prevent new bouts of fighting or to fully reopen shipping in the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The Christian Science Monitor said Iran’s leaders and commanders survived a 40-day onslaught and that the Islamic Republic was acting with “bold and newfound confidence” as negotiations with the United States were underway after a 14-point memorandum of understanding was signed June 17.

The Christian Science Monitor also quoted Iran’s stance that it would maintain its grip over the Strait of Hormuz and insist on linking the ceasefire in the Persian Gulf to all other regional front lines with Israel, including Lebanon.

Al Jazeera said the week of ceremonies for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei adopted heavy symbolism to promote pro-government religious and political messages, with official messaging emphasizing the “martyrdom” of Khamenei and promoting the idea that grief for his death is a national duty.

Al Jazeera quoted the Supreme National Security Council statement that “This surging sea of people, now bidding farewell to and accompanying their leader in his funeral procession, is crying out two slogans: Resistance against the enemies, and revenge for the blood of Iran’s martyred leader,” while describing banners and images used during the events.

The Al Jazeera report said the route selected to move Khamenei’s remains stretches from Qom to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before his burial in Mashhad, linking the ceremony to Shia religious sites and the “Axis of Resistance.”

The Christian Science Monitor said Iran’s negotiations with the United States were shaped by a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed June 17, describing American waivers for Iran to sell its oil for 60 days, the release of some $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and a $300 billion reconstruction fund.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said the remarks came as US-Iran talks ended a week ago without indications of a breakthrough amid a 60-day cease-fire intended to create time for diplomacy, with Trump saying Washington had given Tehran “a week off” for the funeral proceedings before the resumption of indirect negotiations.