Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in downtown Tehran for the funeral of General Hossein Salami, the head of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), along with other top commanders and nuclear scientists killed during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel. The caskets of Salami and General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the IRGC’s ballistic missile program, were carried on trucks along Azadi Street on Saturday, with the crowd chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the conflict, as Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program. State media reported that more than 1 million people attended the funeral procession, though this figure could not be independently confirmed. The crowd filled the entire 4.5-kilometer route along the main Tehran thoroughfare.
While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the war began, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, General Esmail Qaani (head of the Quds Force), and General Ali Shamkhani were among the mourners. Shamkhani, who was wounded in the first wave of Israeli strikes, appeared in civilian clothing and was seen using a cane.
The war, which ended in a ceasefire on Tuesday, resulted in Israel claiming to have killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, as well as damaging nuclear facilities and military infrastructure. More than 1,000 people died, including 417 civilians. Iran retaliated with over 550 ballistic missile launches at Israel, most of which were intercepted, though some caused damage and fatalities.
The funeral ceremonies were the first public ones for senior commanders since the ceasefire, with 60 people, including four women and four children, being honored. Ayatollah Khamenei, in his first public message since the war ended, declared victory over Israel, criticizing the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and downplaying their effectiveness. The head of the UN nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, called the damage to Iran’s Fordow nuclear site from US bunker-buster bombs “very, very, very considerable.”
