Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Sunday for the funeral procession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former supreme leader, who was killed in late February during the outset of a war involving the United States and Israel. His coffin, draped in the Iranian flag, was carried by truck through the capital’s streets, drawing scenes of widespread public mourning and expressions of political resolve.

Khamenei, aged 86 at the time of his death, was killed alongside several family members in an airstrike on February 28, which marked the beginning of the conflict initiated by US and Israeli forces. Following two days lying in state indoors for senior officials and visitors, his coffin and those of four relatives were displayed under glass in the expansive courtyard of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque.

The funeral procession saw Tehran’s major thoroughfares closed and its airspace restricted for several days of official mourning, which are set to conclude on Thursday with the planned burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei’s birthplace. Aerial footage broadcast by Iranian state television showed a crowd stretching from Azadi Square for several miles, reportedly surpassing the size of the 2020 funeral for General Qassem Soleimani.

While three of Khamenei’s sons—Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud—were observed praying beside the coffins at the mosque, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has assumed the position of supreme leader, did not attend the funeral events. This absence drew disappointment among some mourners, who had hoped to see the new leader at the ceremonies.

The atmosphere among the crowds at the procession was marked not only by mourning but also by calls for retaliation. Some attendees chanted demands for revenge against Western nations, particularly targeting the United States and Israel. Signs calling for the deaths of then-US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were also seen. Iranian media reflected this sentiment, with several hardline publications emphasizing the need for retribution, framing it as both a popular right and a political obligation.

The funeral rites extend beyond Tehran, with plans for the remains to be taken to Shi’ite religious sites in neighboring Iraq, further symbolizing Khamenei’s significance in the Islamic Republic and the broader Shi’ite community.

The events surrounding the funeral and mourning period underscore deep-seated tensions and ongoing hostilities linked to the conflict that led to Khamenei’s death, as well as the resilient political influence of his legacy in Iran.