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Mourners throng funeral procession in Tehran for Ali Khamenei

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Thousands mourned the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
  • The funeral procession included calls for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.
  • Khamenei and his family members died in an air strike at the start of the war.

Mourners dressed in black flooded into Iran's capital for a procession as part of the funeral of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Throngs of people called for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, and those of his family members killed in an air strike on February 28, sat aboard a truck decorated to resemble the shrine of an imam. The massive turnout was encouraged by Iran's theocracy as a sign of strength, and it came as the Islamic Republic negotiates with the U.S. over a permanent end to the war.

Footage aired on Iranian state television showed a massive crowd stretching from Tehran's Azadi Square for kilometers. The crowd appeared larger than that which turned out for the 2020 procession for the late Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani. People alongside the truck carried placards calling for Trump's death.

Today that we are here for the funeral for our leader, it's a very tough day. We are not here to say goodbye to him. We are here for revenge. And we will take revenge.

โ€” Fatima HassanA mourner expresses grief and a desire for retribution during the funeral procession.

"Today that we are here for the funeral for our leader, it's a very tough day," said mourner Fatima Hassan. "We are not here to say goodbye to him. We are here for revenge. And we will take revenge."

The multi-day state funeral for Khamenei and his family will end on Thursday. His casket was flown to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where he will be honored on Tuesday. Khamenei was 86. Authorities have shut down streets, airspace, and daily life for the mourning period, which began Saturday and will conclude with his burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

This is the last time I am seeing him. Our generation lived with him for decades.

โ€” Maryam AlizadehA weeping mourner reflects on the long life and influence of the late leader.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.