Mourners Throng Funeral Procession In Tehran For Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Mourners dressed in black flocked to Iran’s capital on Monday for a funeral procession. Late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiMany people were calling for the death of US President Donald Trump.

The flag-draped coffin of Khamenei and members of his family killed in an airstrike at the beginning of the war between Israel and the United States on February 28 stood on a truck decorated to resemble the ornate grill that surrounds the imam’s tomb. The massive turnout, encouraged by Iran’s theocracy as a sign of power, comes as Iran negotiates with the United States over a permanent end to the war that killed the 86-year-old cleric.

Helicopter footage broadcast on Iranian state television showed a huge crowd stretching for miles from Tehran’s Azadi, or Freedom Square, down a multi-lane street of the same name. The crowd appeared larger than the one that turned out at the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s parade in 2020, which drew more than 1 million people.

Authorities did not conduct an immediate crowd count as the truck crawled down the street. But people next to the truck and elsewhere along the route held signs, banners and banners calling for Trump’s death.

“We are here today for the funeral of our leader, it is a very difficult day,” said mourner Fatima Hassan. “We’re not here to say goodbye to him, we’re here for revenge. And we will get revenge.”

Mourners reached out to touch the truck, and some threw scarves and other items for attendants to rub against the coffin, a common practice seen as a blessing in Iran. Officers, some of whom were on the ladders of fire trucks, sprayed misty water into the crowd to cool off in the heat.

Authorities appeared concerned about the dangers of having a large crowd near the parade; Authorities called on the public through loudspeakers to walk slowly, not to push, and to stay on the side of the street.

Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hasan Hasanzadeh, who oversaw the parade, said the coffins would be taken through the streets of Tehran on a 12-hour journey to Mehrabad International Airport.

Authorities closed streets, airspace and daily life due to the mourning that began on Saturday and will end on Thursday when Khamenei was buried at the Imam Reza shrine in his hometown of Mashhad.

“This is the last time I see him,” said a weeping Maryam Alizadeh. “Our generation has lived with it for decades.”

However, as the funeral progressed, calls began to come from mourners to avenge Khamenei’s death. Mourners and the banners they carried called for the killing of both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Such signs were seen again on Monday, when an effigy of Trump was hung along the parade route.

“We are here to show that his path will continue and each of these people will continue on with their fists clenched and soon we will definitely avenge his death from the United States and Israel,” mourner Sahar Zaraatgar said.

U.S. federal officials have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials stemming from Trump’s 2020 order for years. Soleimani’s killingwho leads the elite Quds Force. Iran has repeatedly denied planning to kill Trump, but harsh propaganda images have long been evident. He claimed that Trump was targeted by Tehran.

Meanwhile Trump He vowed to destroy Iranian civilization during war, among other threats.

Meanwhile, the United States is eager to continue negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening Iran. Strait of Hormuzrolling back its controversial nuclear program and ending the war permanently. Talks appear to be on hold until after the funeral.

The funeral was partly a show of Iranian unity demands a control measure It’s on the strait, a vital waterway for global energy, that was closed during the war. The United States has rejected these demands, and the parties remain divided on other key issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and its nuclear program. Conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran’s new religious leader Ayatollah Mojtaba KhameneiBy the way, he has not yet appeared at the funeral ceremonies, which have been going on for several days. He is believed to have gone into hiding after reportedly being injured in the airstrike that killed his father.

Israel, at the height of the war before a ceasefire in April, targeted senior leaders in at least one case they probably use their appearance in public to correct their position. He also threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.