Thousands of mourners dressed in black filled the streets of Tehran on Monday for a funeral procession for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The massive turnout, encouraged by Iran's theocracy as a display of strength, occurred as the nation negotiates with the U.S. over a permanent end to an ongoing war.
Helicopter footage broadcast on Iranian state television showed a vast crowd stretching for miles along Azadi Square and the street of the same name. The numbers appeared to surpass those who attended the 2020 procession for Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which drew over a million people.
During the procession, individuals carried placards and banners demanding the death of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One effigy of Trump was seen hanged. "We are here to show that his path will continue, and every single one of these people will continue down his path with clenched fists, and soon we will certainly avenge his death against the U.S and Israel," said mourner Sahar Zaraatgar.
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, along with those of family members killed in a Feb. 28 airstrike at the outset of the war, was placed on a truck decorated to resemble the ornamental grating surrounding an imam's shrine. Mourners reached out to touch the truck, and some threw items to attendants to brush against the coffin, a practice considered a blessing.
Authorities urged the public to walk slowly and avoid pushing to prevent dangers associated with the large crowd. The procession was scheduled to be a roughly 12-hour journey to Mehrabad International Airport. The mourning period, which began Saturday, is set to conclude Thursday with Khamenei's burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. He was 86 years old.
Calls for revenge for Khamenei's death have grown louder as the funeral services have progressed. "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."
U.S. federal authorities have been monitoring Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years, a response to Trump's order for the 2020 killing of Soleimani. Iran has consistently denied plotting to assassinate Trump, although hard-line propaganda has long suggested Trump was a target.
The U.S. is keen to advance negotiations with Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, curtailing its nuclear program, and achieving a lasting end to the war. Talks are reportedly paused until after the burial. The funeral proceedings also served as a demonstration of unity as Iran asserts its claim for control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy that was shut down during the war. The U.S. has opposed these demands, and significant disagreements persist on other key issues, including Iran's nuclear ambitions and the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to be in hiding and possibly wounded from the same airstrike that killed his father, has not yet appeared at the funeral ceremonies. Israel has previously targeted senior Iranian leaders and threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.