TEHRAN: Iran began a state funeral service Saturday for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel, after Tehran鈥檚 top diplomat condemned Donald Trump鈥檚 comments on supreme leader Ali Khamenei as 鈥渦nacceptable鈥.
The proceedings started at 8:00 am local time (0430 GMT) in the capital Tehran as government offices and many businesses were closed on Saturday for the occasion.
鈥淭he ceremony to honour the martyrs has officially started,鈥 state TV said, showing footage of people donning black clothes, waving Iranian flags and holding pictures of the slain military commanders.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as well as other senior government officials also attended the event.
Images showed coffins draped in Iranian flags and bearing portraits of the deceased commanders in uniform near Enghelab Square in central Tehran.
The United States had carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend, joining its ally Israel鈥檚 bombardments of Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme in the 12-day conflict launched on June 13.
Both Israel and Iran claimed victory in the war that ended with a ceasefire, with Iranian leader Khamenei downplaying the US strikes as having done 鈥渘othing significant鈥.
In a tirade on his Truth Social platform, Trump blasted Tehran Friday for claiming to have won the war.
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He also claimed to have known 鈥淓XACTLY where he (Khamenei) was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces鈥 terminate his life鈥.
鈥淚 SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, 鈥楾HANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!鈥欌 the US leader said.
Trump added he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of sanctions against Iran, one of Tehran鈥檚 main demands.
鈥淏ut no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,鈥 Trump said.
Hitting back at Trump Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the Republican president鈥檚 comments on Khamenei.
鈥淚f President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei,鈥 Araghchi posted on social media platform X.
鈥淭he Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to 鈥楧addy鈥 to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults.鈥
The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran鈥檚 health ministry said. Iran鈥檚 attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.
鈥楬istoric鈥 state funeral
The ceremony in Tehran 鈥渢o honour the martyrs鈥 will be followed by a funeral procession to Azadi Square, about 11 kilometres (seven miles) across the sprawling metropolis.
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Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran鈥檚 Islamic Development Coordination Council, vowed it would be a 鈥渉istoric day for Islamic Iran and the revolution鈥.
Among the dead is Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guards and the second-in-command of the armed forces after the Iranian leader.
He will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist for a local media outlet, all killed in an Israeli attack.
Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, also killed in the attacks, will be buried with his wife.
Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, who was killed on the first day of the war, will also be laid to rest after Saturday鈥檚 ceremony 鈥 which will also honour at least 30 other top commanders.
Of the 60 people who are to be laid to rest after the ceremony, four are children.
鈥業mminent threat鈥
During his first term in office, Trump pulled out in 2018 of a landmark nuclear deal 鈥 negotiated by former US president Barack Obama.
The deal that Trump had abandoned aimed to make it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while at the same time allowing it to pursue a civil nuclear programme.
Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is only for civilian purposes, stepped up its activities after Trump withdrew from the agreement.
After the US strikes, Trump said negotiations for a new deal were set to begin next week.
But Tehran denied a resumption, and leader Khamenei said Trump had 鈥渆xaggerated events in unusual ways鈥, rejecting US claims Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme had been set back by decades.
Israel had claimed it had 鈥渢hwarted Iran鈥檚 nuclear project鈥 during the 12-day war.
But its foreign minister reiterated Friday the world was obliged to stop Tehran from developing an atomic bomb.
鈥淭he international community now has an obligation to prevent, through any effective means, the world鈥檚 most extreme regime from obtaining the most dangerous weapon,鈥 Gideon Saar wrote on X.