Iran witnessed the largest popular gathering of two million people in its history, during the funeral procession of the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , who was assassinated by Israel and the United States of America at the beginning of their second war on Iran on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
The bodies of four members of his family were also laid to rest: his granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani (14 months old), his daughter Seyedeh Bushra Hosseini Khamenei, his son-in-law Dr. Mesbah Alhoda Bagheri Kani, and Zahra Haddad Adel, the wife of the new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
that were present in Tehran witnessed the start of the funeral procession from Damavand Street, located in the east of the Iranian capital, at six o'clock in the morning (3:30 GMT), reaching Azadi (Freedom) Square in western Tehran.
Millions of Iranians gathered in public squares linking the east and west of the capital, especially Imam Hussein Square and Enghelab (meaning Revolution) Square, carrying Iranian flags and black and red banners.
Millions of Iranians gathered in public squares linking the east and west of the capital, especially Imam Hussein Square and Enghelab Square (meaning Revolution Square), carrying Iranian flags, black banners signifying mourning, and red banners calling for revenge.
Slogans calling for revenge against the killers of the Supreme Leader and his family, and the killers of the students of Minab School (southern Iran), which was subjected, at the same time as the assassination of the former Supreme Leader in Tehran, to the fall of two Tomahawk missiles, which Iran says were launched by the American forces present in the Gulf region at the school, which at the time led to the killing of about 167 students aged between 5 and 10 years.
Slogans calling for retribution against US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were chanted, with protesters holding up pictures of them smeared with red paint and circles of targets for assassination around their heads.
One of the participants, Sepideh (50 years old), wearing a shroud with the word “revenge” written on it, said: “We will not forget to punish the killers who shed the blood of our leader, and the American administration and Israel should know that they have committed a crime that will lead to their destruction.”
“We came to support our new leader (Sayyid Mujtaba) and to declare our loyalty to our martyred leader (Sayyid Ali),” said Hussein, 52, sitting in a wheelchair due to paralysis in his legs.
He added to while wearing a Basij keffiyeh: “We will continue to stand with the right of resistance in Palestine and Lebanon against the Israeli occupation, and we will not back down from that.”
A mural was also placed on a wall near Tehran University, symbolically showing two men sitting around a dining table, eating the flesh of children. The name of the American businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of exploiting and sexually trafficking minors, was written on the table, according to the files published by the US Department of Justice, in which the name of US President Donald Trump was frequently mentioned.
People from various Iranian provinces and cities flocked to the capital, Tehran, through the fourteen entrances leading to it, which witnessed unprecedented congestion due to the large mass migration towards the capital, to participate alongside the people of Tehran in the funeral of the former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family.
The authorities in the capital, Tehran, had completed all the necessary arrangements to receive mourners from all over Iran, and had taken the required measures to ensure the success of the funeral procession in all organizational, security, service and logistical aspects, as ambulance teams and police forces were deployed in large numbers, and cases of fainting were recorded in the streets due to the severity of the crowding and the high temperature of the sun.
In an effort to honor the participants and alleviate the hardship of the journey, free hospitality stations prepared by civil bodies, associations and private institutions were spread out in large numbers on both sides of the road, where they provided participants with cold water, various juices, fruits, especially watermelon, and some food and drinks.
There were also multiple stations to spray water mist on the mourners to cool the air.
Internal unit
The grand funeral procession in Tehran on Monday, July 6, was the culmination of the preceding ceremonies on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, in which the preservationof internal unity among all the nationalities and people of Iran was emphasized, and on the political level, the language of defiance to the American administration and Israel was present, stressing the “refusal to make any concessions in the confrontation with them.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed the importance of preserving internal unity, pledging to continue on the path of the Supreme Leader.
the young Iranian Abbasi (35 years old) about the type of negotiations that these demonstrators could accept, and he said: “The only acceptable negotiations are those that are approved by our Supreme Leader, Mr. Mojtaba Khamenei, and in any other case, the masses will turn the tables in the street if Mr. Mojtaba is not satisfied with the negotiations.”
Hosseinzadeh’s friend intervened, saying: “One of the conditions for the success of the negotiations is the protection and support of the resistance front, especially Hezbollah in Lebanon. We owe it to the resistance to stand by us during the war, and we will not abandon them.”
In parallel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed the importance of preserving internal unity, pledging to continue on the path of the Supreme Leader. Regarding the funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he said that he does not accept the word “farewell,” but rather it is a pledge to continue the journey.
Pezeshkian said: “I offer my condolences for the martyrdom of our dear leader, his honorable family, and all the loved ones who lost their lives in this war for the glory and elevation of Iran and Islam.”
He added: “By entering this war, the enemy has disrupted the geography of the region, but in reality, he has strengthened unity and solidarity among Muslims, and has even awakened the peoples of the world to his false claims.”
He stressed that the enemy has proven in this war that what it raises in terms of freedom and human rights issues is nothing but lies, and continued, saying: “All the crimes committed in the region are caused by the Zionists, with the support of America and some European countries.”
