Iran unites in mourning, honors martyrs in mass funeral
5 Min Read
With tears and unwavering pride, the Iranian nation mourns its martyrs, military leaders, scientists, and children, killed in Israeli aggression, standing united in defiance against foreign threats.
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People mourn over the flag-draped coffins of Iranian army generals, nuclear scientists, and their family members who were killed in Israeli strikes, during a funeral ceremony in Tehran. Iran, Saturday, June 28, 2025 (AP)
Tens of thousands of Iranians filled Tehran’s Enghelab (Revolution) Square on Saturday to participate in the funeral procession of 60 martyrs killed during the recent Israeli aggression. Among the mourners were President Masoud Pezeshkian, Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as former Iranian Presidential Advisor Mohammad Javad Zarif, in addition to official delegations from Bahrain, Iraq, and other Arab nations, standing in solidarity with the Islamic Republic.
Iranian President Masoud #Pezeshkian was seen paying his respect to the martyrs killed in the Israeli aggression on the country, including security leaders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, as he took part in the massive funeral held in the capital, #Tehran.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 28, 2025
Several senior… pic.twitter.com/xim3LROrKb
Ali Shamkhani, the Senior Advisor to Iranian Leader Sayyed Ali, also attended the massive funeral procession in Tehran. The Israeli occupation had claimed it had assassinated Shamkhani at the beginning of the Israeli war on Iran; however, the top advisor sustained injuries in the failed Israeli attempt.
Ali Shamkhani, the Senior Advisor to Iranian Leader Sayyed Ali, has attended the massive funeral procession in #Tehran.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 28, 2025
The Israeli occupation had claimed it had assassinated Shamkhani at the beginning of the Israeli war on #Iran.
The top advisor sustained injuries in the… pic.twitter.com/Nrb1QoNFwZ
Member of the Iranian Shura Council, Hamid Rasaei, said the martyrdom of the leaders and scholars does not stand in the way of development.
Speaking on the sidelines of the funeral ceremony, Rasaei said, "Today's million-strong turnout proves that the revolution in Iran belongs to all its people."
The Shura Council member asserted that the people are the most prominent force behind any country, "and our people do not fear threats nor are they defeated by the schemes of their enemies."
'Death to America... Death to Israel'
From the early hours of dawn, men, women, and youth flooded the streets, united by grief and resistance. Chants echoed through the capital: “Death to America... Death to Israel,” “We shall never forget, we shall never forgive,” and “At your service, Khamenei.” Participants also demanded accountability from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), calling for the prosecution of its director, Rafael Grossi.
Iranians flooded the streets of #Tehran to mourn the leaders martyred in the Israeli war on Iran.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 28, 2025
Among the mourned are the Chief of Staff of #Iran's Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and IRGC Commander Hossein Salami.
The massive funeral procession also grieved the… pic.twitter.com/VgyypUOlQ8
“The ceremony to honour the martyrs has officially started,” Iranian state TV announced in the early morning, as footage showed mourners dressed in black waving Iranian flags and carrying portraits of martyrs. Coffins, wrapped in the national tricolor and adorned with military insignia, were lined up near Enghelab Square before proceeding toward Azadi Square.
Martyrs' processions move from Revolution Square to #Tehran University amid chants of "Death to America" and: "We shall never forget, we shall never forgive." https://t.co/zalvr6KHN7
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 28, 2025
The commander of the IRGC in Tehran, Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, affirmed that the funeral procession is an extension of the ongoing Operation True Promise 3. He said the march from Enghelab Square to Azadi (Freedom) Square symbolizes Iran’s unwavering resolve and unity in the face of external threats.
Furthermore, Hassanzadeh emphasized the unique presence of all segments of Iranian society at the funeral.
“Their martyrdom is not just a loss but a beacon of sacrifice that inspires a nation,” he declared.
Honoring Iran’s national defenders
Among those honored was the Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who was assassinated along with his wife and daughter, a journalist, in an Israeli airstrike.
The funeral also included nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and his wife, as well as Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, killed on the war’s first day. Thirty top commanders and four children were among the martyrs remembered.
Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran's Islamic Development Coordination Council, called the event a “historic day for Islamic Iran and the revolution.”
Iran's Health Ministry has lately announced that at least 627 people have been killed and 4,870 others have been injured in the Israeli aggression across Iran.
Tiny coffins of martyred children stir nation’s grief
Among the sea of coffins draped in the Iranian flag, it was the smallest ones that pierced the hearts of all who stood in mourning.
Carried gently by trembling hands, the tiny caskets of children symbolized an unbearable grief, innocent lives stolen in the cruelty of the Israeli war on Iran. Mothers wept silently, their cries drowned only by the thunderous chants of a nation refusing to forget.
#BREAKING
— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) June 28, 2025
Small coffins of martyred Iranian children being carried through the crowds, a moving scene of innocence stolen by the Zionist regime. pic.twitter.com/FzPTCzC6k6
Every step of the procession was a testament to the weight of loss and the cruelty of aggression, as fathers clutched photographs and Iranians reached out to touch the flower-adorned coffins as if to share in the burden of their pain.
In those quiet, sacred moments, the entire nation carried its youngest martyrs together.
Trump’s threats, Iran’s unyielding response
Lately, US President Donald Trump reignited tensions with a provocative post on Truth Social, claiming he had “SAVED [Khamenei] FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH” and knew “EXACTLY where he was sheltered” but chose not to act. Trump added that he had contemplated lifting sanctions, only to reverse course when Iran responded with “anger, hatred, and disgust.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a strong rebuttal. “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 wrote on X. Araghchi further declared 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.”
Wider context
The aggression against Iran erupted when "Israel" launched a series of deadly strikes on June 13, targeting military and civilian sites.
The United States escalated the assault by bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities in a clear act of provocation.
Despite the devastation and loss, Iran stood firm, retaliating with strength and forcing both aggressors to call for a ceasefire. Though "Israel" and the US claimed success, Iran dismissed their actions as futile, reaffirming its sovereignty and unbroken resolve.
Read next: 'Israel's' war objectives turned into failures in Iran: Exclusive
