Iranian Authorities Promote Martyrdom Messaging as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Funeral Procession Moves Tehran to Iraq

A week of ceremonies for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran has adopted heavy symbolism to promote pro-government religious and political messages, with the funeral beginning with three days of mourning in Tehran before a procession weaves between cities in Iran and Iraq.

Al Jazeera reported that Iranian authorities have emphasised the “martyrdom” of Khamenei in official messaging and promoted the idea that grief for his death is a national duty, using the official slogan “We must rise” on banners and images displayed by mourners in Iran.

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The Al Jazeera account said Khamenei was supreme leader from 1989 until his death in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, and it described a defining image of a clenched fist that has been used extensively in government propaganda since his death.

The route selected to move Khamenei’s remains stretches from Qom to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before his burial in Mashhad at the shrine of Imam Reza, linking the ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic and clerical authority.

The Supreme National Security Council said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that “This surging sea of people, now bidding farewell to and accompanying their leader in his funeral procession” was crying out slogans of resistance and revenge.

As Khamenei’s funeral procession began in Tehran, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz defended the killing in remarks made to Israel’s Channel 13, saying the slain ayatollah was assassinated for trying to “destroy” Israel and warning future Iranian leaders to watch out.

Al Jazeera reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi retorted that the United States needed to honour a commitment to “muzzle its pets in Tel Aviv,” as anger at the US-Israeli strike that killed Khamenei included an effigy of Donald Trump being hanged.

Al Jazeera

The BBC said huge crowds lined the streets for the procession of Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, transported by a lorry along a 10km route that passed through Enghelab Square, after his body lay in state for two days at Tehran's Grand Mosalla mosque.

The BBC also reported that placards included “We must rise” and calls for the death of Donald Trump, and it quoted a mourner, Melika Nourian, saying, “I came with honour and pride to show all the people of the world how much we loved him and how committed we are to the system, the people, and the Islamic Republic.”

The BBC further noted that Israel Katz said Ali Khamenei was “eliminated by Israel” because he had threatened its existence, while Mojtaba Khamenei, the son who succeeded him, did not make an appearance and has not been seen in public since being reportedly seriously wounded on 28 February.

Iranian authorities said millions lined the streets as the flatbed lorry carrying the coffins of the former supreme leader and his family proceeded through Tehran, and the coffins would be displayed in Qom and the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala before being laid to rest in Mashhad, Iran.

The BBC reported that the procession took place on the last of three days of public mourning in the capital, with state media saying millions of mourners filled the main boulevards and crowded around the black lorry that carried the coffin of the late supreme leader and four family members.

In the BBC account, Qom Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi declared that large turnouts “will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic,” and it said the ceremonies were taking place less than three weeks after Iran and the US signed a preliminary agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The BBC said mediator Qatar reported that Iranian and US negotiators made “positive progress” at indirect talks in Doha last week, with their next meeting scheduled after the conclusion of the ceremonies for Khamenei.

CNN Arabic reported that additional ceremonies were scheduled on July 7 in Qom, on July 8 in Najaf and Karbala, and on July 9 in Mashhad, while the funeral rites would continue for several days after the body lay in state at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran.