Tehran (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A ceremony of state funeral services is being held in Iran for around 60 people, including military commanders, who died in Israeli attacks, with thousands attending the ceremony in Tehran.
Israel and Iran have both declared victory in the war, which ended with a ceasefire on Tuesday. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, played down the US strikes, saying Trump had exaggerated the situation in unusual ways, and disputed US claims that Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by decades.
What message did the crowds send during the funeral
Iranian State TV aired footage of people wearing black clothes, waving Iranian flags, and holding photos of the slain head of the Revolutionary Guard, as well as other top commanders and nuclear scientists, at a ceremony that began at 8 am on Saturday.
Coffins with images of the departed commanders in uniform and Iranian flags draped over them were visible in photos taken from central Tehran.
Trucks carrying the coffins of the Guard’s chief, General Hossein Salami, and General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guard’s ballistic missile programme, as well as others, drove along Tehran’s Azadi Street as crowds chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. Authorities shut down government offices so public servants could attend the ceremonies.
Who were the key figures killed in the war?
About 16 scientists and 10 senior leaders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces head Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
How did Iran respond to Trump’s latest remarks?
Today’s state funeral follows a day after US President Donald Trump unleashed a tirade on his Truth Social platform, criticising Khamenei for declaring in a video address that Iran had succeeded in the war. Trump also asserted to have known “EXACTLY where he (Khamenei) was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces… terminate his life”.
He stated that he’d been working on lifting sanctions on Iran in recent days, but he put the idea on hold after Khamenei’s comments.
Responding to Trump on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on X:
“If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader.”
