Iran opens Khamenei funeral with calls for 'death to America'

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https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-901377

Iran opens Khamenei funeral with calls for 'death to America'
By REUTERS
JULY 4, 2026

The funeral for the former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began on Saturday in Tehran with chants of "death to America, death to Israel," while the ceremonies are expected to last at least a week with events across the country.

The current Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was one of the main absences in the funeral, while he hasn't been seen in the public eye since he was wounded in the airstrike that killed his father on the first day of the war between Israel, the US, and Iran.

Television footage showed Khamenei's coffin draped with the Iranian flag and topped with his black turban. It was placed, along with four other coffins of his slain family members, on a large black platform that resembled the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the center of Islam's holiest site in Mecca.

"'Death to America' chants echoed through Tehran's Mosalla on the day of the farewell to 'Mr. Martyr'," state broadcaster Seda va Sima said.

In video posts on other state media news sites, mourners were also heard chanting: "Our slogan is one word: Revenge, revenge," and "We will kill, we will kill he who killed our Imam."

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Dignitaries and officials pay their respects before the coffins of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family during a viewing ceremony ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)


The casket of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s granddaughter, Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, is displayed alongside the caskets of Khamenei and other members of his family during a viewing ceremony ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)


Revolutionary Guard members and clerics mourn on the esplanade of the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque as preparations are underway ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)