A sombre Tehran gathered in mourning on Saturday morning as Iran began state funeral rites for dozens of senior military officers and nuclear scientists killed during the 12-day war with Israel, one of the most devastating flare-ups in the region’s recent history.
Crowds dressed in black and waving national flags marched silently along Azadi Street, where the caskets of around 60 prominent figures, including top Revolutionary Guard commanders and atomic experts, were paraded atop trucks. The state funeral procession began around 8am local time (0430 GMT), accompanied by chants of “Death to Israel” and verses from the Qur’an broadcast over loudspeakers.
State television declared, “The ceremony to honour the martyrs has officially started,” as images flooded local media and social platforms showing vast gatherings of mourners in the capital, many holding placards bearing the portraits of the slain.
Among the most prominent of the dead are General Hossein Salami, the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of its ballistic missile programme, both killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike on 13 June.
The deaths mark one of the most significant blows to Iran’s military hierarchy since the assassinations of Qassem Soleimani and nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Observers say the Israeli strikes this time were not limited to symbolic hits, but part of a far-reaching military operation during the fortnight-long conflict.
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Iran responded with unprecedented force, launching waves of missiles and drones at Israeli targets — a marked departure from the more calibrated responses Tehran had previously employed. Civilian casualties were reported on both sides: 627 Iranian civilians perished in the bombardments, while Israel officially confirmed 28 civilian deaths.
In the aftermath of the ceasefire, a war of words has erupted between the two bitter foes and their respective allies. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while addressing the nation, declared Iran had “slapped the Zionist regime and the United States in the face” by withstanding the offensive and retaliating with force.
US President Donald Trump, responding on Friday via his Truth Social account, rejected the notion of Iranian triumph and claimed he had personally spared Khamenei. “I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!’” he wrote.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, reacting to Trump’s remarks, said on X: “If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei.”
He added that “The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults.”
Saturday’s ceremonies mark not only national grief, but also a defiant display of unity in a deeply polarised West Asia.
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