Lauge Risom Koch 
Senior Iranian officials appeared publicly at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran as anti-U.S. rhetoric intensified and negotiations with Washington were temporarily put on hold.
Senior Iranian officials gathered in Tehran on Sunday for funeral prayers honoring the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marking one of the highest-profile public appearances by the country’s leadership since the war with Israel.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the ceremony drew hundreds of thousands of mourners and came as calls for retaliation against the United States and President Donald Trump were voiced during the event.
Leadership returns
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and senior Revolutionary Guard figures attended the prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla alongside several of Khamenei’s sons.
AP reported that Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani led the funeral prayers, while Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, did not appear publicly. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being injured in the airstrike that killed his father.
The gathering marked a significant shift from the recent conflict, when senior Iranian officials largely avoided public appearances because of security concerns.
Calls for revenge
Speeches and slogans at the funeral included repeated calls for retaliation against the United States and Israel.
According to AP, poet Mohammad Rasouli, who hosted the ceremony, drew chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” before asking the crowd, in reference to Trump, “Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive?”
Posters and graffiti displayed around the venue also called for the deaths of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while some mourners expressed support for revenge.
Talks delayed
The funeral ceremonies are expected to continue through the coming days, with Khamenei’s coffin scheduled to travel through several Iranian cities before his burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.
AP reported that negotiations between Iran and the United States over a permanent end to the conflict have been postponed until after the mourning period concludes.
Iranian officials are also expected to continue discussions over security in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important shipping route that remains central to regional tensions.
Sources: Associated Press
