Mourners waved red flags and chanted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans during the second day of funeral ceremonies, as Iranian authorities portrayed the event as a show of national unity
Millions of mourners gathered at Tehran’s Grand Musalla during funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, waving red flags and chanting calls for revenge as the country continued several days of official mourning.
Many participants carried red flags bearing the Arabic inscription “Ya Litharat al-Hussein” (“O avengers of Hussein”), a symbol rooted in Shiite tradition that is associated with the martyrdom of Imam Hussein at Karbala and is often used to signify that justice for innocent blood has yet to be achieved. The flags were displayed alongside Iranian national flags and portraits of Khamenei, while crowds repeatedly chanted slogans against the United States and Israel.
Quran recitations and elegies filled the prayer hall as mourners continued to arrive throughout the day. Iranian officials presented the ceremonies as a demonstration of national unity and institutional continuity following Khamenei’s death.
Iranian state media described Khamenei as having been killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28 and said his death had prompted widespread mourning across Iran and allied groups in the region. The United States and Israel have not publicly confirmed those claims.
The funeral ceremonies are expected to continue for several days before Khamenei is laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad.
