Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Tehran, the Iranian capital, for the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is estimated that between 15 and 20 million people—including delegations from over 100 countries—will assemble to participate in this historic funeral and mourning ceremony.
A live report by the Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera on Sunday (July 5) stated that calls for the assassination of US President Donald Trump have emerged from the sea of people attending Khamenei’s funeral.
Ziba Naderi, a 42-year-old nurse attending the funeral, said, “Iranians need to abide by whatever our new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, directs.”
She added, “I hear calls for revenge, but our leader should tell us what needs to be done, and we will certainly heed his words.”
Various posters and graffiti were visible at the Grand Mosalla, calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Poet Mohammad Rasouli, who was conducting the proceedings prior to the funeral prayers, led chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Addressing the crowd over the loudspeaker, Rasouli asked regarding Trump, “Why is the most vile person in the world still alive?” The crowd erupted in cheers at his question.
On February 28, Israeli and US forces launched a surprise attack on Iran. In that initial day of attacks, dozens of the country’s top leaders and military commanders—including the then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—were killed.
