Mourners Demand Revenge as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Funeral Procession Moves Through Qom and Tehran

Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are taking place in the sacred Iranian city of Qom, with CNN describing the dayslong ceremonies as underway as Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, “has yet to appear publicly since his father’s killing.”

CNN reports that Khamenei’s body will be transported to the Iraqi city of Najaf, then on to Karbala, before he is buried in his hometown of Mashhad Thursday, and that prayers for Khamenei will be held at the Jamkaran Mosque on the outskirts of Qom.

Al-Jazeera Net

In Tehran, The News Minute reports mourners dressed in black flooded into Iran’s capital for a procession calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump, with Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin and those of his family members killed Feb. 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war.

The Associated Press account carried by The News Minute says the coffins were taken through Tehran on a roughly 12-hour journey to Mehrabad International Airport, and Khamenei’s casket was flown later Monday to Qom, where he will be honored Tuesday.

The News Minute adds that authorities shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which began Saturday and will end Thursday as Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.

The Washington Post describes a huge funeral procession in Tehran on Monday morning, saying the crowd “clogging the streets” bid farewell to Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 37 years before his death in an airstrike at age 86.

The News Minute reports that mourners carried placards and banners calling for Trump’s death, and that one mourner, Fatima Hassan, said, “We are not here to say goodbye to him. We are here for revenge. And we will take revenge.”

Asharq Al-Awsat

CNN reports that Iran’s top negotiator says implementing the agreement with the US is “difficult, but achievable,” while Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaking with the head of the Hamas political bureau at the funeral, reaffirmed support for regional armed groups backed by Iran.

The News Minute says negotiations over the war remain on hold until after the burial, and that the U.S. is eager to press ahead with negotiations aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war.

The News Minute also notes that Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, “has yet to make an appearance in the funeral ceremonies,” as the funeral unfolds over several days.

CNN reports a separate incident during the same period of funeral coverage: a tanker was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile while traveling off Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a British marine tracking agency.

CNN says the vessel was eight nautical miles east of Limah, Oman when it was reportedly struck on its port side, and that no casualties or environmental impact have been reported.

CNN also ties the funeral period to broader regional dynamics, saying the Israeli military carried out several strikes in Lebanon on Monday, with the National News Agency reporting that five towns in southern Lebanon were targeted including “a large explosion” in the town of Hadatha.

The News Minute frames the stakes for Iran’s leadership transition and war talks by reporting that the funeral is unfolding as the Islamic Republic negotiates with the U.S. over a permanent end to the war, with the U.S. rejecting Iran’s demands for a measure of control over the strait.

CNN adds that at least 4,319 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, and that the toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its counts.