Iran Holds State Funeral for Military Commanders Slain in Conflict with Israel

Iran held a state funeral service on Saturday (Jun 28) for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel. The proceedings started in the capital Tehran with government offices and many businesses closed for the occasion. State TV showed people in black clothes, waving Iranian flags, and holding pictures of the slain military commanders.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior government officials and military commanders attended the event. Senior advisor to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Shamkhani, who was wounded during the war, also participated in the ceremony. Images displayed mock-ups of Iranian ballistic missiles and coffins draped in Iranian flags bearing portraits of the deceased commanders near Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran.

A patriotic eulogy played as the procession moved toward Azadi (Freedom) Square. Banners with messages like 'Boom boom Tel Aviv' were seen, referring to Iranian missiles fired at Israel during the conflict. Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the second-in-command of Iran's armed forces, will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist. Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, among others, will also be laid to rest after the ceremony.

Of the 60 people to be buried, four are children and four are women.