Iran buries Khamenei as mourners call for Trump's death

Funeral begins after months of war

The ceremonies for Ali Khamenei, who died on 28 February when the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, started on 4 July and will run through 9 July. The 86-year-old supreme leader was killed in US strikes on Tehran. National mourning was declared in March, but the funeral was delayed by the ongoing conflict.

Anti-American chants and calls for assassination

On Sunday, poet Mohammad Rasouli performed before a crowd that the Associated Press described as much larger than Saturday's gathering. He shouted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" and asked, referring to Trump, "Why is this greatest scoundrel in the world still alive?" The crowd responded with cheers. Mourners carried banners and flags honouring Khamenei and demanding Trump's death.

Death to America! Death to Israel! Why is this greatest scoundrel in the world still alive?

Diplomatic freeze and US warnings

Iranian-American talks on ending the war have been suspended for the duration of the funeral. Separately, the Washington Post reported that the US warned Iran about a possible Israeli plot to assassinate two Iranian negotiators, Mohammad Ghalibaf and Abbas Aragczi. American officials had already urged Israel in March to halt attacks on senior Iranian figures.

A war that began with Khamenei's death

The conflict erupted on 28 February with coordinated US and Israeli strikes. Khamenei's death was confirmed the next day by Iran's Supreme National Security Council, which called it a "martyrdom" that would spark an "uprising against the oppressors." The war has since continued, with the funeral now serving as a focal point for anti-Western sentiment.