Milan, 4 July (LaPresse/AP) – The Iranian government expects millions of people to flock to Tehran for the funeral of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which begins today and will last several days. He was killed on 28 February in an Israeli-American air raid at the start of the war. The authorities have unveiled the coffin containing Khamenei’s body in a glass casket at the Grand Mosque in Tehran, and those present wept at the sight, chanting slogans such as: “We have but one word! Revenge! Revenge!” The Iranian capital is awash with billboards showing Khamenei’s image alongside scenes reminiscent of the funeral of the Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989. The government intends to capitalise on the large turnout to give fresh impetus to negotiations with the United States over control of the Strait of Hormuz and a definitive solution to the conflict. The 4th of July, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, was chosen to mark the start of the funeral. The crowd attending the ceremony in Tehran chanted: “Death to America!”, echoing a slogan that has been common in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the occupation of the US embassy, which led to the hostage crisis.
Iran: Anti-US chants at Khamenei’s funeral; millions expected to attend
Milan, 4 July (LaPresse/AP) – The Iranian government expects millions of people to flock to Tehran for the funeral of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which begins today and will last several days. He was killed on 28 February in an Israeli-American air raid at the start of the war. The authorities have unveiled the coffin containing Khamenei’s body in a glass casket at the Grand Mosque in Tehran, and those present wept at the sight, chanting slogans such as: “We have but one word! Revenge! Revenge!” The Iranian capital is awash with billboards showing Khamenei’s image alongside scenes reminiscent of the funeral of the Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989. The government intends to capitalise on the large turnout to give fresh impetus to negotiations with the United States over control of the Strait of Hormuz and a definitive solution to the conflict. The 4th of July, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, was chosen to mark the start of the funeral. The crowd attending the ceremony in Tehran chanted: “Death to America!”, echoing a slogan that has been common in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the occupation of the US embassy, which led to the hostage crisis.
