Iran holds funeral for commanders and scientists killed in war with Israel
Large crowds of mourning people dressed in black-bordered streets in the Iranian capital Tehran while the country organized funeral on Saturday for the best military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during the air war this month with Israel.
At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were one of the people to cry during the funeral, according to the state media, notably the head of the armed forces, Major-General Mohammad Bagheri, the commander of the general revolutionary Hossein Salami, and the head of the guards aerospace force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Their coffins were taken to the Place Azadi de Tehran decorated with their photos and their national flags, while crowds agitate flags and some have stretched their hands to touch the coffins and throw them pink petals. The press television managed by the state has shown an image of exposed ballistic missiles.
Mass prayers were then held on the square.
State television said that funerals, nicknamed the “procession of martyrs of power”, took place for a total of 60 people killed during the war, including four women and four children.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other personalities, including Ali Shamkhani, was seriously injured during the conflict and is an adviser to the Iranian chief of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as the son of Khamenei Mojtaba.
“Today, the Iranians, by a heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, have protected their honor and their dignity, and turn to the proud future, more worthy and more resolved than ever,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, in a telegram post.
There was no immediate declaration by Khamenei, which has not appeared publicly since the start of the conflict. During past funerals, he directed prayers on the coffins of senior commanders before the public ceremonies broadcast on state television.
Israel launched air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear installations and killing the best military commanders as well as civilians in the worst shot to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran retaliated with missile dams on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear installations.
Israel, the only country in the Middle East largely believed with nuclear weapons, said that it was aimed at preventing Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having a nuclear weapon program. The United Nations nuclear custody said that it had “no credible indication” of an active and coordinated weapon program in Iran.
Bagheri, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was buried in the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were to be buried on Sunday.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was planning to bomb Iran again, while Khamenei, who appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, said that Iran would respond to any future American attack by hitting US military bases in the Middle East.
A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had given a “blow” to the Iranian nuclear project. On Saturday, Iranian Revolution Guards said in a statement that Israel and the United States had not achieved their declared objectives “in the war.
According to figures from the Iranian Ministry of Health, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a cease-fire coming into force on Tuesday. Over 4,700s were injured.
The activist news agency Hrana put the number of killed at 974, including 387 civilians.
The Israeli Health Ministry said 28 had been killed in Israel and 3,238 injured.
