TEHRAN: Iran conducted a state funeral on Saturday for about 60 individuals, including military commanders, who were killed in the ongoing conflict with Israel. The ceremony, which began at 8:00 am local time in Tehran, saw government offices and many businesses shut in observance of the event.
The funeral procession, broadcast live on state TV, featured thousands of mourners wearing black and holding Iranian flags and images of the fallen military commanders. Chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, the crowd trampled on Israeli and American flags as part of the demonstration.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, senior officials, and military commanders, including Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force, participated in the funeral. Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran’s supreme leader who was wounded during the conflict, also attended using a walking cane.
The procession, which began at Enghelab Square, featured symbolic imagery, including mock-ups of Iranian ballistic missiles and coffins draped in Iranian flags. As the procession moved towards Azadi Square, banners reading “Boom boom Tel Aviv” were displayed, referring to Iran’s missile retaliation against Israel.
Among those killed was Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in the Revolutionary Guards, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a prominent nuclear scientist. Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, who died on the first day of the conflict, was also commemorated during the ceremony.
