Iran’s capital, Tehran, witnessed a sea of mourners dressed in black on Monday as thousands gathered for the funeral procession of the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with many in the crowd chanting anti-American slogans and calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, along with those of family members killed in a February 28 airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, was carried aboard a truck decorated to resemble the ornate grating surrounding the shrine of an imam.
According to state broadcaster IRIB, the procession is expected to last between 10 and 12 hours, having begun on Monday morning, with the coffins making their way through Tehran before being taken to Mehrabad International Airport.
Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hasan Hasanzadeh, who is overseeing the ceremony, said the cortege would travel through the capital before Khamenei is flown to Mashhad, his birthplace, where he will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine. National mourning, which began on Saturday, is expected to continue until Thursday.
The large turnout, encouraged by Iran’s theocratic leadership as a demonstration of national unity and resilience, comes as Tehran continues negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the conflict that claimed the life of the 86-year-old cleric.
Helicopter footage aired by Iranian state television showed crowds stretching from Tehran’s Azadi (Freedom) Square for several kilometres along the adjoining boulevard, with the gathering appearing larger than the procession held for Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, which drew more than one million mourners.
Authorities shut down major roads, closed the country’s airspace and suspended much of daily activity for the mourning period while repeatedly urging mourners through loudspeakers to move slowly, avoid pushing and remain at the edges of the procession route to prevent any stampede or other incidents.
Throughout the procession, many mourners carried anti-Trump posters and placards bearing violent messages, including calls for the U.S. president’s death. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Vice President JD Vance also featured on several banners displayed by mourners.
Videos shared by Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, showed mourners throwing rocks at a large poster of Trump displayed on a bridge before tearing it in half.
As the procession continued, calls for revenge grew louder, with demonstrators carrying signs demanding retaliation against both Trump and Netanyahu, while one effigy of the U.S. president was seen hanging along the procession route.
“Today that we are here for the funeral for our leader, it’s a very tough day,” mourner Fatima Hassan said. “We are not here to say goodbye to him; we are here for revenge. And we will take revenge.”