Iran Mourns Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Massive Funeral Procession in Tehran

Tehran. A massive funeral procession was held in the capital Tehran on Monday as part of the funeral ceremony of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Thousands of grieving citizens participated in the funeral procession, during which chants of revenge against US President Donald Trump were heard. Drone footage released by Iranian state television showed tens of thousands of people present on the main streets of Tehran.

The bodies of Khamenei and four members of his family were placed in a truck and paraded through various streets of the capital. Water was sprayed from fire engine sprinklers from above to cool the participants due to the extreme heat.

As the funeral procession reached under a bridge, participants threw stones at a poster hanging on the bridge, which featured a picture of US President Trump. The poster depicted a drawing of a bullet aimed at Trump's head and bore the message, 'America killed our father, we will not leave you.'

Participants in the funeral procession carried red banners along with the Iranian national flag. These banners bore slogans addressing 'Khamenei's avengers.' This slogan is believed to be inspired by the historical sentiment of sacrifice of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the Shia tradition of Islam.

Earlier on Sunday, Khamenei's three sons offered prayers before his body in a large prayer hall in Tehran. However, his successor and current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was not publicly visible. According to Iranian media, Mojtaba is believed to have sustained serious facial injuries in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28. He has not participated in any public event since the war began.

Khamenei's mourning period began last Friday. In the initial ceremony, the bodies of Khamenei, his daughter, 14-month-old granddaughter, a son-in-law, and Mojtaba's wife were displayed for government officials and foreign delegations. Public tribute events were also held in Tehran on Saturday and Sunday. Later this week, Khamenei's body will be taken to the city of Qom, a religious city in Iran, and two major Shia pilgrimage sites in neighboring Iraq for tributes. After that, the body is scheduled to be cremated at the historical religious complex in Mashhad, Iran.

Although the war between Iran, the US, and Israel has officially stopped after the initial peace agreement last month, regional tensions still persist.

The Iranian leadership claims to have achieved victory and states that it has succeeded in influencing global energy supply through the Strait of Hormuz.

On the other hand, President Trump has also claimed that the US has achieved its objectives in the war. However, it is analyzed that the initial goals of destroying Iran's nuclear program, eliminating its missile capabilities, and creating an environment for regime change in Iran still remain unfulfilled.

Trump had stated over the weekend that peace talks with Iran have been postponed for a week due to the funeral ceremony.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed on Monday that Khamenei was killed for orchestrating plans against Israel and warned that any Iranian leader who attempts to destroy Israel in the future will face similar action.