Thousands of mourners dressed in black gathered in Tehran on Saturday for a state funeral honoring top Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists, and civilians killed during the country’s 12-day war with Israel.
Among the 60 dead commemorated were at least 10 senior commanders and 16 nuclear scientists, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh. All three were killed in Israeli airstrikes on June 13, the opening day of the war.
Coffins draped in Iranian flags were paraded through Azadi Square amid mass prayers, rose petals, and chants from flag-waving crowds. State TV broadcast images of the procession, which was billed as the “Procession of the Martyrs of Power,” and showed ballistic missiles on public display.
President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the funeral alongside other senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba and senior adviser Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict.
“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honour and dignity,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a Telegram post, referencing Israel and the United States. “We look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever.”
Khamenei has yet to appear publicly since the conflict began but has released two video messages. Traditionally, he has led prayers at major military funerals.
Bagheri was buried at Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery on Saturday afternoon, while Salami and Hajizadeh were scheduled for burial on Sunday.
The war erupted on June 13 when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli infrastructure and cities. The U.S. joined the conflict on June 22, targeting additional Iranian nuclear facilities.
On Friday, former U.S. President Donald Trump said he would consider ordering further strikes on Iran if provoked. Khamenei has warned that any future U.S. attack would be met with retaliation against American bases across the region.
Israel claims it inflicted a “major blow” to Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards countered on Saturday, saying Israel and the U.S. “failed to achieve their stated objectives.”
Iran’s health ministry reported 610 deaths and over 4,700 injuries on its side before a ceasefire took effect Tuesday. Activist outlet HRANA estimated 974 dead, including 387 civilians. Israel reported 28 killed and 3,238 wounded during the fighting.