Iran launched an elaborate six-day funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, staging a carefully choreographed display of national unity and defiance just four months after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes killed the longtime leader.
The ceremonies began after Khamenei’s body lay at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla Mosque on Friday. State media showed five caskets draped in Iranian flags, including a small coffin containing the body of Khamenei’s 1-year-old granddaughter, whom Iranian officials said was killed alongside him in the Feb. 28 strike.
The funeral comes as Iran seeks to project stability after months of war that decimated much of its senior political and military leadership. Up to 20 million people are expected to participate in the commemoration. Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei’s son and expectant heir, is notably absent. He has not appeared publicly since assuming power in March.
President Donald Trump referenced the funeral during remarks Friday marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, touting the military campaign against Iran.
“We knocked the hell out of Iran,” Trump said. “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral, because we’re nice.”
