Thousands of black-clad mourners flooded into Iran’s capital Monday for a funeral procession as part of the ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Many in the massive crowd called for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, along with those of his family members killed on Feb. 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, was carried on a truck. The vehicle was decorated to resemble the ornamental grating that surrounds an imam’s shrine. State television aired helicopter images showing a vast crowd stretching for kilometers from Tehran’s Azadi Square down a multilane street, a turnout that appeared to surpass the over 1 million people who attended the 2020 procession for the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Authorities did not provide an immediate crowd count. Along the route, people carried placards, signs, and banners calling for Trump’s death. Mourner Fatima Hassan stated, “Today that we are here for the funeral for our leader, it’s a very tough day. We are not here to say goodbye to him. We are here for revenge. And we will take revenge.”
Mourners reached out to touch the truck carrying the coffins, and some threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a practice considered a blessing in Iran. Attendants, some on ladders from fire trucks, sprayed misted water to cool the crowds in the summer heat. Officials used loudspeakers to urge the public to walk slowly, avoid pushing, and stay to the edges of the street, appearing concerned about the dangers of such a large gathering.
The coffins were transported through Tehran in a roughly 12-hour journey towards Mehrabad International Airport. Khamenei’s casket was scheduled to be flown later Monday to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where he would be honored on Tuesday. The mourning period, which began Saturday and is set to conclude Thursday with Khamenei’s burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace, has led to the shutdown of streets, airspace, and daily life. Khamenei was 86 years old.
“This is the last time I am seeing him,” said Maryam Alizadeh, a mourner. “Our generation lived with him for decades.”
As the funeral progressed, calls for avenging Khamenei’s death intensified. Mourners and their signs targeted both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for killing. Effigies of Trump were seen hanging along the procession’s route. Sahar Zaraatgar declared, “We are here to show that his path will continue, and every single one of these people will continue down his path with clenched fists, and soon we will certainly avenge his death against the U.S and Israel.”
U.S. federal authorities have been monitoring Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years, stemming from Trump’s order to kill Soleimani in 2020. Iran has consistently denied plotting to kill Trump, despite hard-line propaganda suggesting Trump was a target.
Meanwhile, Trump had previously vowed to destroy Iran’s civilization during the war. The U.S. is keen to move forward with negotiations with Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, curbing Tehran’s nuclear program, and permanently ending the war. Talks are reportedly on hold until after the burial.
The funeral served partly as a demonstration of unity as Iran seeks control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy that was closed during the war. The U.S. has rejected these demands, and significant disagreements persist on other key issues, including the nuclear program and the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not yet appeared at the funeral ceremonies. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father. At the height of the war, before an April ceasefire, Israel targeted top Iranian leaders, and had threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.
A man holds a sign reading "#kill_trump” as mourners gather for funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
