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‘Death to America, Death to Israel': Hundreds of thousands mourn top Iranian generals killed in Israeli strikes
Images of Iranian military commanders and scientists killed during Israeli strikes are displayed at Enghelab (Revolution) Square as trucks carrying their coffins drive past during their funeral procession in the capital Tehran on June 28, 2025. AFP Photo
Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in central Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists killed during the recent 12-day war with Israel.
Caskets bearing the remains of Revolutionary Guard chief Gen Hossein Salami, Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh — who headed the Guard's ballistic missile programme — and others were paraded along Azadi Street, one of the capital's main avenues. Crowds chanted slogans including 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel' as the funeral procession moved through the city.
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Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on June 13, the opening day of the war, when Israel launched targeted strikes it said were aimed at dismantling Iran's nuclear programme. The offensive focused on senior military commanders, scientists, and nuclear facilities.
State media claimed over one million people attended the procession. While independent confirmation of the turnout was not possible, the route — stretching 4.5 kilometres — was densely packed with mourners.
There was no immediate sign of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral. Khamenei, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television.
Top officials are among the mourners Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was on hand, and state television reported that Gen Esmail Qaani, who heads the foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force, and Gen Ali Shamkhani were also among the mourners.
Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei who was wounded in the first round of Israel's attack and hospitalised, was shown in a civilian suit leaning on a cane in an image distributed on state television's Telegram channel.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard was created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since it was established, it has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran's allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq.
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It operates in parallel to the country's existing armed forces and controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites.
More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
With inputs from agencies
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