Tehran Transforms Ayatollah Khamenei's Funeral into Anti-U.S. Rally

The funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of Iran who died in an early airstrike during the war with the U.S. and Israel, has turned into a large-scale anti-U.S. and anti-Israel rally.

According to reports from The Guardian and Reuters on July 4, Iran commenced a six-day mourning period for Khamenei.

From early morning, hundreds of thousands of mourners filled the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in downtown Tehran, chanting slogans such as "blood for blood," "death to America," and "death to Israel" as they mourned Khamenei's passing.

Khamenei died at the age of 86 on February 28 due to an airstrike launched by the U.S. and Israel as part of the war against Iran. Iranian authorities had postponed the large funeral until a temporary ceasefire agreement was reached last month, allowing them to finalize the schedule.

By 5:30 a.m., the area surrounding the Grand Mosque was filled with citizens holding pictures of Khamenei and Iranian flags. His casket was displayed under glass, alongside the coffins of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter, who also perished in the airstrike. A black turban, symbolizing his lineage as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, rested atop Khamenei's coffin.

The atmosphere at the event transcended mere mourning, resembling a political ceremony emphasizing revenge and regime unity. One mourner told Reuters, "Everyone here has come to avenge the blood of the Supreme Leader. We have a blood feud with America, and our relationship with them can never improve." Other attendees echoed sentiments to the Associated Press, chanting, "Our message is one: revenge, revenge."

Iranian authorities appear to be using this funeral to demonstrate regime unity, which may be shaken by Khamenei's death. The Associated Press noted that Khamenei's funeral could serve to strengthen the Iranian theocratic regime and his son, the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

The timing of the funeral coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States added to its anti-U.S. symbolism. While Iranian authorities did not elaborate on the significance of the funeral's start date, the chant "death to America" was prevalent throughout the event. This slogan has been a recurring theme in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the U.S. embassy hostage crisis.

The funeral will continue for six days, starting with a memorial service at the Grand Mosque, followed by a funeral procession through downtown Tehran on July 6, a memorial service in the central religious city of Qom on July 7, commemorations in Karbala and Najaf, Iraq, on July 8, and concluding with Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad, Iran, on July 9.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to make strong statements regarding Khamenei's funeral. According to Axios, Trump remarked on the gathering of Iranian leaders at the funeral, saying, "With one foot, I could take them all out, but we won't do that. Otherwise, there would be no one to negotiate with."