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State funeral in Tehran
Iran began a procession through its capital Tehran for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, with his flag-draped coffin and those of his family killed February 28 in an air strike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States sitting on board a truck.
“Toggle Play Influencers say they’re ‘honoured’ to attend Khamenei funeral Several social media influencers travelled to Iran on special invitation from the government to attend the state funeral for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei”
The coffins were being taken through the streets of Tehran on their way to Mehrabad International Airport, as authorities decorated the truck’s side to resemble the ornamental grating that surrounds the shrine of an imam.
Authorities shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which began on Saturday and was set to end on Thursday as the 86-year-old was buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
A mourner, Fatima Hassan, said on Monday morning, "We are not here to say goodbye to him, we are here for revenge. And we will take revenge."
Influencers invited by government
Several social media influencers travelled to Iran on special invitation from the government to attend the state funeral for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera said Khamenei was killed in an air strike on the first day of the US-Israel war on Iran, and the influencers described themselves as "honoured" to participate in the funeral.
The Al Jazeera item was published on 6 Jul 2026, and the same framing appeared in an Arabic version carried by Oz Arab Media.
Oz Arab Media described the influencers’ attendance as reflecting their "honoured" feeling to participate, tying the event to the current socio-political context in Iran.
Revenge rhetoric and threats
As the funeral went on, the Bury Mercury report said there were increasingly threats from mourners to avenge Mr Khamenei’s death, with signs calling for the killing of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Iran began a procession through its capital Tehran for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday”
The same report said US federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Mr Trump and other administration officials for years, stemming from Mr Trump’s ordering of the 2020 killing of General Qassem Soleimani, who had led the elite Quds Force.
Middle East Forum described the funeral’s messaging as including explicit threats, quoting Mohammad Rasouli, a prominent pro-regime maddah, reciting verses that included, "By the blood of the Leader we swear, our duty is to kill Trump."
Middle East Forum also quoted Mohammad Mokhber, who served as Iran’s acting president following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, saying, "For certain, those who killed our martyred leader will not die of natural death."
