Massive Tehran Crowds Mourn Generals, Scientists Killed In Israeli Strikes/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Hundreds of thousands packed Tehran streets to mourn top Revolutionary Guard commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli airstrikes during a 12-day conflict. The funerals reflected deep anger and defiance amid calls for retaliation. Supreme Leader Khamenei remains absent publicly, while Iran grapples with significant losses.
Iran Mourning After Israeli Strikes – Quick Look
- Gen. Hossein Salami, missile chief Hajizadeh among the slain
- Over 1 million reportedly attended Tehran funeral procession
- Khamenei absent from public; Iranian officials vow response
- Israel claims strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear program facilities
- Iran insists nuclear program remains peaceful despite attacks
Hundreds of Thousands Mourn Iranian Commanders, Scientists Killed in Israeli Strikes
Deep Look
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A sea of mourners filled central Tehran on Saturday as hundreds of thousands gathered for funerals honoring Iran’s top Revolutionary Guard commanders and nuclear scientists killed during the recent 12-day war with Israel.
Crowds jammed Azadi Street, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as the coffins of Gen. Hossein Salami, the chief of the Revolutionary Guard, and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guard’s ballistic missile program, were carried on trucks through the capital. Both were killed on the war’s first day, June 13, when Israel launched strikes aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program.
State media claimed over one million attended the procession, a figure that could not be independently verified. The massive turnout reflected surging national emotions following the deadliest conflict between the two bitter enemies in decades.
Iranian state TV showed top officials including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Gen. Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force, paying their respects. Also present was Gen. Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who appeared leaning on a cane after reportedly being injured in the initial Israeli attacks.
Notably absent from public view was Khamenei himself, who has not appeared in person since before the war’s outbreak. However, he released a video Thursday claiming victory over Israel and dismissing the impact of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Over the 12-day conflict, Israel claimed to have killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, striking eight nuclear-related facilities and over 720 military sites. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group reported over 1,000 deaths in Iran, including at least 417 civilians.
Iran retaliated by firing more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel. Most were intercepted, but some struck targets, killing 28 people.
Saturday marked the first large-scale funeral since the ceasefire declared Tuesday. According to Iranian state TV, funerals were held for 60 victims, including four women and four children. Many victims will be laid to rest in their hometowns, though Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s army chief of staff who also died in the strikes, is to be buried at Tehran’s Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery beside his brother, a casualty of the Iran-Iraq War.
Amid the solemn rituals, anger simmered. “This is not a ceasefire, this is just a pause,” said Ahmad Mousapoor, 43, waving an Iranian flag. “Whatever they do, we will definitely give a crushing response.”
Separately, Iran’s judiciary confirmed the death of Ali Ghanaatkar, the chief prosecutor at Tehran’s Evin prison notorious for prosecuting dissidents. He was killed in an Israeli strike on Monday and will be buried in Qom.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is purely peaceful, but Israel has long viewed Tehran’s ambitions as a direct threat. The latest conflict underscored the deep regional stakes—and risks—of the escalating shadow war between the two rivals.
Despite Supreme Leader Khamenei’s dismissive rhetoric, Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, said damage to Iran’s Fordo nuclear site from American bunker-buster bombs was “very, very, very considerable.”
As the Middle East reckons with the war’s aftermath, the mourning in Tehran signaled both national grief and ongoing determination amid a conflict far from resolved.
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