Delegations from Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthi movement attended funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, where crowds chanted anti-American slogans and Iranian military and political leaders vowed retribution for his killing [14][18]. The six-day proceedings began at the Grand Mosalla mosque on July 4, with authorities projecting 15 to 20 million attendees in the capital alone [10], though other reporting cited expectations of more than 10 million [19], and the route scheduled to pass through Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad before burial [2][16]. The coffins of Khamenei and four family members killed alongside him, including a 14-month-old granddaughter, were placed on display [7][8].
Iranian mourners, clerics, and officials described Khamenei's death as a martyrdom creating a blood feud with the United States and Israel. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that "the nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world" [5]. Army Chief Amir Hatami vowed that Israel and the US "will pay for the blood of the martyred leader and all the nation's martyrs" [5]. IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi told state television that "enemies will take their wish for our surrender to the grave" [14]. IRGC Navy Commander Ali Ozmaei stated that "divine retribution against the terrorist America and the illegitimate Zionist regime [Israel] is not far off" [24]. A mourner named Arash Rahimi stated that "everyone here has come to avenge the blood of their supreme leader" and that "our relations with the United States will never be good" [3]. A mourner named Roozbeh Najafi told RFI that "Israël doit être détruit" (Israel must be destroyed) because it killed the supreme leader [12].
The attendance of Axis of Resistance allies was framed by both Iranian officials and the delegations themselves as a display of continued solidarity. Hamas sent a delegation led by political bureau head Mohammed Darwish, Hezbollah dispatched senior official Mohammed Fneish, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah attended in person [18]. Al-Nakhalah described Khamenei as "a distinguished leader with deep commitment to the Palestinian cause" and affirmed that Iran's support for Palestine will continue [26]. Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued a statement calling Khamenei "a fundamental pillar of support for the Palestinian people" [26]. DW Arabic reported on the wide participation of Iran's regional allies, framing it as a display of Axis of Resistance unity [29].
Iranian officials and state media argued that the scale of mourning and the presence of foreign delegations demonstrated the regime's resilience and the failure of Western efforts to isolate it. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that "it pleases Iran to have received representatives from more than seventy countries" [11][20], while Germany's Tagesschau reported that delegations from around 30 countries would attend [13]. A senior Iranian source said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had issued a confidential directive instructing US embassies to pressure countries not to attend [11], a claim reported only by Iranian state media and not corroborated by any non-Iranian source. Analyst Wang Jin stated that Iran's mobilization "reflects continued internal cohesion" and that "efforts to isolate Iran have not achieved their intended effect" [4]. Dawn's editorial argued that the turnout proved "the failure of the US-Israeli attempt to break or isolate Iran" [17]. Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji's attendance was noted as evidence that the Saudi-Iran rapprochement has held [4], and Sky News Arabia highlighted the attendance of delegations from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman [30]. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were among the high-ranking attendees [2][33][34]. Iran used Quranic verses as diplomatic signaling during the funeral, with different delegations receiving verses calibrated to their relationship with Tehran [25].
German and English-language reporting, together with academic and ordinary Iranian voices, argued that the funeral was a staged show of unity masking economic despair and disillusionment. Der Spiegel described the event as a "Machtdemonstration" (demonstration of power) by the regime [6]. Islamwissenschaftler Reinhard Schulze of the University of Bern stated that the funeral dates were deliberately set to compete with US Independence Day and the NATO summit [13]. An Iranian who recently returned from the US told The Guardian that "the country is a deep mess" with "prices in the shops chang[ing] every day" [8]. A former teacher named Farzane told Tagesschau that she would not participate because attendance would not ease "inflation, the cost of living crisis, or economic hardship" [13]. A hairdresser named Ali told the same outlet that he had "no desire or intention to participate in the funeral procession" [13]. Analysts cited by Japan Today said that "behind the veneer of unity and devotion, public support for the Islamic Republic has worn paper thin" [9].
Alongside the vengeance rhetoric, many mourners expressed personal grief, describing Khamenei in familial terms. Cleric Mohammad Mirsalehi stated that "the leader was a father to us all" and that "with his passing, we have all been left orphaned" [5][19]. A mourner named Fatima Khavari told The Guardian that "he is the only true guide we have known" [8]. A mourner quoted by Der Spiegel stated: "Ich habe ein seltsames Gefühl. Als mein Vater starb, habe ich nicht so sehr geweint, wie damals, als der oberste Führer den Märtyrertod starb" (I have a strange feeling. When my father died, I did not cry as much as when the supreme leader died a martyr's death) [6]. Iranian mothers who brought their daughters to the ceremonies described the event as a lesson in resistance. A mother named Roqaia told RFI that "nos enfants apprennent très jeunes ce que signifie la résistance" (our children learn very young what resistance means) [21].
Successor Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since succeeding his father, prompting speculation about his health. Multiple outlets reported that Mojtaba may have been wounded in the strikes [3][7][14]. Schulze stated that at most a double of Mojtaba would be seen, as the real one is likely too disfigured by the attack [13]. Iranian domestic outlet Tabnak analyzed the political and symbolic dimensions of Mojtaba Khamenei's presence at the funeral [31]. Some mourners affirmed they would follow his leadership regardless, with a mourner named Fatemeh stating that "we will all listen to his son. He will guide the revolution forward" [14]. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Mojtaba Khamenei or any successor is "marked for death" and a "certain target for assassination" [14][27][28].
Iranian officials adopted an exclusionary diplomatic posture, rejecting Western involvement. Deputy Foreign Minister Kasem Gharibabadi said that Europeans were not invited because they "stood on the wrong side" during the attacks on Iran [13]. Gharibabadi warned that "the Strait of Hormuz is not a theatre for the military display of extra-regional powers" [24]. Iran's central headquarters of armed forces issued a statement warning against any military action during the ceremonies [14]. President Donald Trump stated that "neither side will shoot the other during the funeral proceedings" and that talks would continue afterward [1]. Trump separately mocked the funeral, saying "we gave them a week off for a funeral because we're nice" and claiming Tehran is "dying to settle" [3][24][36]. Ghalibaf dismissed Trump's claims about Iran buying US agricultural products, stating that the US has "40-something million of your own citizens on food stamps" [24].
Amnesty International called for the protection of civilians and adherence to international law following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran [38]. Third countries including India and Brazil weighed economic and energy-security considerations in deciding their level of engagement with the funeral [35][41]. Islamabad emerged as the leading venue for the next round of US-Iran technical negotiations, expected on July 11, which were delayed by the funeral ceremonies [24].