Thousands Join Tehran Funeral for Slain Khamenei
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- Khamenei's funeral procession drew tens of thousands through a 10km (6.2-mile) route in Tehran on Monday, with coffins carrying his remains and those of family members killed in the same strikes moving slowly through the capital over a 10-12 hour ceremony.
- Mojtaba Khamenei, named as his father's successor, has not been seen publicly since taking power and has so far been absent from his father's funeral, according to BBC reporting from Tehran.
- Mourners carried red flags symbolizing vengeance and displayed anti-Trump and anti-Netanyahu placards, with some throwing rocks at a poster of Trump's face on a bridge and his image later seen ripped in two.
- Trump told Axios the US and Iran agreed to pause negotiations through the funeral week, claiming Iranians were "begging to make a deal" but adding that the US could "take them all out" with "one shot" — and chose not to because "then we would have nobody to negotiate with."
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his first major public appearance since the war began on 28 February, attending the procession; Iranian media report three of his bodyguards were killed when strikes targeted the area near his home in the war's early days.
- Burial is scheduled for Thursday in the northeastern city of Mashhad, which Iranian authorities have dubbed the "funeral of the century," with millions expected to attend events running through the coming week.
Why it matters: Iran's new leaders are choreographing the funeral as a display of strength and resistance at a politically delicate moment: peace talks with Washington are on pause, the named successor has gone missing from public view, and US officials are openly weighing military options — Trump publicly noting every senior Iranian figure is in one place this week.
