Iran on Saturday held a large state funeral in Tehran for dozens of individuals killed during what officials described as a 12-day Israeli and US aggression against the country, in a ceremony marked by anti-Israel and anti-US slogans.
According to Iranian authorities, at least 60 individuals — including top military commanders, nuclear scientists, journalists, women and children — were martyred in targeted strikes across the Islamic Republic. Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran’s Enqelab Square from early morning hours to take part in the funeral procession, which proceeded toward Azadi Square.
The ceremony, coinciding with the second day of Muharram, drew large crowds chanting slogans including “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”. Several placards and banners carried by mourners depicted messages of resistance, including one that read “Boom boom Tel Aviv,” in reference to Iranian missile retaliations during the conflict.
The funeral was attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, senior government officials, and top military figures, including Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani, commander of the Quds Force.
Among the high-profile figures laid to rest was Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s second-in-command of the armed forces. He was killed alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist, in a reported Israeli airstrike in Tehran. Also among the dead was nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was buried with his wife. IRGC Chief Major General Hossein Salami, killed on the first day of the reported aggression, was buried with full military honours.
Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran’s Islamic Development Coordination Council, described the day as “historic” for the Iranian nation and the Islamic Revolution. Images from the capital showed coffins draped in Iranian flags, with portraits of the deceased displayed prominently at the ceremony site.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), paid tribute to those killed, writing that Iran was laying to rest “some of their purest and most patriotic sons and daughters.” He said the funeral was not merely a farewell but “a demonstration of the unity of a nation that responded to terror with the language of presence.”
The ministry, in a formal statement, said Iran’s resilience was emblematic of its historical struggle for independence and dignity. “This steadfast presence is not only a sign of the people's loyalty... but also sends a clear message to the world: the people of Iran are turning threats into unity,” the statement read.
Officials claimed that more than 600 people — a majority of them civilians — were killed during what they called an unprovoked assault on Iranian territory by Israel and the United States. Neither Washington nor Tel Aviv has officially commented on the strikes reported by Tehran, and the claims could not be independently verified.
The funeral took place during Muharram, a deeply significant period in the Islamic calendar, which commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Drawing a parallel with the historical event, Baghaei wrote that “Iranians have proven that they are the nation of Imam Hussein,” invoking the symbolism of sacrifice and resistance.
Iran’s leadership has framed the recent confrontation as an existential struggle, vowing continued resistance in the face of what it terms “aggressor powers.”
