Iran's top officials attend leader's funeral amid calls for revenge

Iran's top officials and the brothers of the new supreme leader appeared publicly on Sunday to attend funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Their presence suggested a degree of confidence in their safety as Iran continues to push back against U.S. demands in negotiations aimed at permanently ending the war.

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Death to America

Hundreds of thousands gathered, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," demanding revenge for the Feb. 28 attack that killed the 86-year-old supreme leader and other officials, an event that triggered the current war. Some hard-liners were heard calling for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, has not yet appeared at the multi-day funeral ceremonies. He is reportedly in hiding, possibly wounded in the airstrike that killed his father. Israel had previously targeted top Iranian leaders, potentially using their public appearances to fix their positions, and has threatened the younger Khamenei.

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Death to Israel

Meanwhile, the U.S. is pressing forward with negotiations to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Iran's nuclear program. Among those attending the prayers were Khamenei's sons Masoud, Meysam, and Mostafa, Revolutionary Guard head Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Esmail Qaani, head of the elite Quds Force.

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I heard the call for revenge, but our leader should say what we need to do. And we must listen to him.

Mourners carried banners and flags honoring Khamenei, with some posters and graffiti at the Grand Mosalla specifically calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A poet addressing the crowd over loudspeakers referred to Trump as "the biggest bastard in the world" and stated, "The world is no longer a good place" for him, drawing cheers from the crowd. A mourner identified as Gholamreza Sabooni, a 29-year-old grocery worker, expressed his desire to "shout and seek revenge" for the deaths.

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Why is the biggest bastard in the world still alive?