Hiiraan Online
Today from Hiiraan Online:
Somali Music
Google Plus
advertisements
Iran holds state funeral for top commanders, scientists killed by Israel
FacebookFacebook messengerTwitterWhatsAppLinkedInTelegramEmail
Sunday June 29, 2025
Mourners gather in Islamic Revolution Square (Enghelab Square) to attend the funeral ceremony [Vahid Salemi/AP]
Tens of thousands of people have lined the streets in Iran鈥檚 capital, Tehran, as the country held a funeral service for military commanders, nuclear scientists and some civilians killed in Israeli attacks earlier this month.
State TV showed footage of people donning black clothes, waving Iranian flags and holding pictures of some of the dead in the ceremony that started at 8am (04:30 GMT) on Saturday.
Images from central Tehran showed coffins draped in Iranian flags and bearing portraits of the deceased commanders in uniform.
Israel launched the assault on its main regional rival on June 13, killing several senior military and scientific officials, and bombarding military sites and nuclear facilities across the country. Iran responded with missiles attacks on Israel.
The Israeli bombardment continued for 12 days, with key ally the United States joining the conflict to carry out strikes on three nuclear sites last weekend. In retaliation for the US attacks, Iran launched a wave of missiles at a US military base in Qatar.
Both Israel and Iran claimed victory in the war that ended with a ceasefire on Tuesday, with Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplaying the US strikes, claiming Trump had 鈥渆xaggerated events in unusual ways鈥, and rejecting US claims that Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme had been set back by decades.
The coffins of the Guard鈥檚 chief General Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard鈥檚 ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and others were driven on trucks along the capital鈥檚 Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted: 鈥淒eath to America鈥 and 鈥淒eath to Israel鈥.
Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, which Israel said was meant to destroy Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme.
Mohammad Bagheri, a major-general in Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard, as well as top nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi were also killed in Israeli attacks.
Mass prayers were later held in Tehran鈥檚 Azadi Square.
Saturday鈥檚 ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including 16 scientists, 10 senior commanders, as well as four women and four children.
In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei鈥檚 son Mojtaba.
Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies.
War of words
The state funeral comes a day after US President Donald Trump launched a tirade on his Truth Social platform, blasting Khamenei for claiming in a video address that Iran had won the war.
Trump also claimed to have known 鈥淓XACTLY where he (Khamenei) was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces鈥 terminate his life鈥.
He claimed he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of sanctions against Iran, but he dropped it after Khamenei鈥檚 remarks.
Hitting back at Trump on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X: 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.鈥
Al Jazeera鈥檚 Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, said Araghchi鈥檚 remarks were 鈥渁 most expected reaction鈥 to Trump鈥檚 social media posts.
鈥淢any Iranian people regard him [Khamenei] as chiefly a religious leader, but according to the constitution, he鈥檚 not only that 鈥 he鈥檚 the political leader, he鈥檚 the military leader 鈥 he鈥檚 simply the head of state in Iran,鈥 he said.
Serdar also said Khamenei鈥檚 position is not just the top of a hierarchy, but a divine role in Shia political theology.
鈥淣ot only in Iran, but across the world, we know there are a significant number of Shia who look for his guidance,鈥 Serdar said. 鈥淎nyone who knows that would be meticulously careful not to publicly criticise him, and particularly not to accuse him of lying.鈥
No nuclear talks planned
There was no sign of Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral.
The supreme leader, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their coffins before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television.
During the 12 days before the ceasefire, Israel claimed it killed about 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites.
Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.
The Israeli attacks on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran鈥檚 Ministry of Health and Medical Education said.
After the US strikes, Trump said negotiations on Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme for a new deal were set to restart next week, but Tehran denied there were plans for a resumption.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Opinion| Privacy Policy|Sports|Somali Music|Somali Map
All Rights Reserved Copyright. 漏 1999-2025, www.hiiraan.com