Iran promotes message of continuity and revenge at Khamenei commemoration

Tehran, Iran – Large-scale public commemorations for erstwhile Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei person commenced successful the capital, with authorities promoting a connection of continuity for the Islamic Republic and vengeance for his killing.

Khamenei, 86, was targeted successful an airstrike astatine the commencement of the warfare with the United States and Israel connected February 28, aft ruling Iran with implicit powerfulness for astir 37 years.

Red flags, commonly associated with martyrdom but besides viewed arsenic a awesome of revenge successful Shia Islam, were seen passim the Grand Mosalla commemoration tract successful Tehran and different wide gatherings.

“We indispensable rise,” was the authoritative slogan utilized for the ceremonies, accompanied by an representation of Khamenei’s clenched fist connected a reddish and achromatic background.

Thousands gathered wrong the immense spiritual analyzable utilized for the ceremonial from the aboriginal hours of Saturday greeting to wage their respects to the assassinated ultimate leader.

Khamenei’s coffin, carried to the ceremonial tract by a lorry, was displayed astatine the centre of the signifier and draped successful flags. Positioned connected an elevated level successful the cardinal court, surrounded by solid and guarded by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel, authorities were acceptable to woody with crowds attempting to scope his coffin.

Visiting men and women were separated by a ample obstruction to observe Islamic values. Religious chanting and slogans blasted from loudspeakers astir the complex.

Videos circulated by authorities media showed crowds chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” astatine a fig of metro stations.

“We are each present to question humor vengeance for our leader,” Fatemeh, a 55-year-old pistillate travelling successful a radical of women clad successful achromatic chadors, told Al Jazeera portion waiting to participate done a bluish gross of the complex.

“We volition each perceive to his son. He volition usher the gyration forward,” she said, successful notation to Mojtaba Khamenei, who was rapidly selected arsenic ultimate person by a clerical assemblage successful March pursuing his father’s killing.

The commemoration has attracted thousands of radical from crossed Tehran to mourn Khamenei [Maziar Motamedi/Al Jazeera]

Tight security

A dense information beingness continues successful the capital, with armoured vehicles, dense instrumentality guns and snipers disposable passim the areas surrounding the farewell ceremonies.

Men were assemblage searched arsenic they entered the Mosalla, portion physics devices – specified arsenic powerfulness banks, earphones and lighters – were confiscated from the mourners by security.

Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publically since helium took office, volition not be the ceremonial owed to information concerns.

State-affiliated newspapers and tv reported that the ultimate leader’s sidesplitting had rallied supporters of the Islamic Republic government, which has been successful powerfulness since the 1979 gyration overthrew Iran’s past shah, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.

Authorities are expecting akin immense numbers arsenic attended the 1989 ceremonial of Ruhollah Khomeini, the laminitis of the Islamic Republic. At slightest 8 mourners died successful the crowds, forcing the subject to evacuate his assemblage by helicopter.

Thousands of “mokebs”, oregon impermanent spiritual work stations, were acceptable up crossed Tehran, blasting retired Islamic Shia chants and rhythmic eulogies to Khamenei.

Government messages and images of Khamenei were plastered crossed Tehran during the commemoration [Maziar Motamedi/Al Jazeera]

Some volunteers handed retired flags, banners and images to the crowd. As temperatures roseate to 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit), different mokebs were equipped with elephantine cooling fans and volunteers distributed escaped drinks to the thousands of mourners.

Emergency services were stationed crossed the country to assistance with immoderate wellness problems owed to the crowds oregon the heat, but truthful acold authorities person reported nary information incidents oregon aesculapian emergencies.

Large parts of Tehran person been cordoned disconnected with barriers and non-official vehicles are barred from entering oregon exiting.

The full of Iran has been efficaciously unopen down until the extremity of Monday, successful an evident effort to promote nationalist participation, with 10 cardinal Iranians expected to instrumentality portion successful the proceedings crossed the country.

Funeral procession

Khamenei’s remains are expected to beryllium moved done Tehran during the ceremonial procession connected Monday. It is past expected to walk done immoderate of Shia’s holiest sites, including Qom, Najaf and Karbala, earlier burial in his hometown of Mashhad successful northeastern Iran connected Thursday.

Some Iranians person utilized the nationalist vacation to flight the crowds and the vigor of Tehran for the cooler bluish provinces by the Caspian Sea, arsenic they regularly bash connected multi-day nationalist events successful the capital. Long lines of postulation were seen connected the Tehran-Shomal Freeway starring to the provinces, with travellers stuck for hours successful jams.

IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi, who made his archetypal quality since the commencement of the war, told authorities TV during an lawsuit connected Friday to grieve Khamenei truthful that “enemies volition instrumentality their privation for our surrender to the grave”.

“The enemies indispensable cognize that the axenic humor of our martyred imam was different turning constituent successful the victories of beloved Islam against the planetary infidel front,” helium said.

Red flags, associated with martyrdom successful Shia Islam and carrying spiritual messages, were carried by mourners [Maziar Motamedi/Al Jazeera]

IRGC aerospace main Majid Mousavi, liable for launching ballistic missiles and drones crossed the portion during the war, besides made a nationalist appearance.

The cardinal office of equipped forces issued a connection to pass against immoderate subject enactment during the ceremonies, aft Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said Mojtaba Khamenei was “marked for death”.

Representatives from dozens of countries were successful Tehran connected Friday to wage their respects to Khamenei and talk with Iranian officials during televised authorities ceremonies.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate talks betwixt Iran and the US, was among the astir elder officials present. Other countries sent lower-level dignitaries, portion European countries were reportedly not invited.

Among the astir salient attendees connected Friday were members of the IRGC-backed “Axis of Resistance”, including members of Hamas, the Houthis successful Yemen and Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

The Hezbollah delegation included members of Hassan Nasrallah’s family, the long-time caput of the equipped radical killed by Israel successful 2024, and relatives of Imad Mughniyeh, the commandant killed by a car weaponry successful Syria successful 2008.