Thousands attend Iranian state funerals for victims of Iran-Israel conflict

Thousands attend Iranian state funerals for victims of Iran-Israel conflict
by Simon Corlett
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 28, 2025

Funeral processions got underway in Tehran Saturday, for around 60 people killed in the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked the hundreds of thousands of mourners who attended the funerals for those killed, which included high-ranking military officers and nuclear scientists in addition to civilians.

"From the bottom of my heart, I thank you dear people; With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of our homeland, and our voice of unity reached the ears of the world," Pezeshkian said on X, in a post translated to English.

"Serving such a noble nation is the honor of my life," he wrote. "Forever Iran."

The post was accompanied by photos of people waving flags and banners lining the streets of the Iranian capital for the state funerals.

Chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" could also be heard among the crowd. The event was also broadcast on Iranian state television.

Pezeshkian marched in the funeral procession. The Iranian president and state-run Islamic Republic News Agency referred to those killed as "martyrs." The IRNA also said around 90 military members and more than 10 leading scientists were among the around 600 people killed in the Israeli attacks.

There was no mention during Saturday's funeral proceedings by local media of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei earlier in the week declared "victory" over the United States, following the American bombardment of three Iranian nuclear facilities. The airstrikes carried out by the U.S. Air Force' B-2 Spirit bombers came following 12 days of various attacks on elements of Iran's military by the Israel Defense Forces.

Khamenei told state media the American bombing "achieved nothing." However, on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted the country's nuclear facilities "have been seriously damaged."

Araghchi attended the funerals Saturday, calling the deaths "hard and painful," while promising "new glory" for Iran.

The countries "don't have anything scheduled as of now," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday in response to a question about planned talks between the two nations.

Israel and Iran remain in a tense ceasefire that was brokered by the United States.

"It was so bad they ended the war," Trump said earlier in the week of the American bombing on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Israel has accused Iran of violating terms of the ceasefire, ordering new attacks in retaliation before the current peace was reached.

Israeli forces continued military operations Saturday, killing at least 20 people in a bombing operation in Gaza.

The strikes on the Palestinian enclave come one day after the IDF attacked suspected positions held by Hezbollah in Lebanon, killing one and injuring more than a dozen others.