Iran mourns commanders, scientists killed in war with Israel

Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran as the country held a funeral on Saturday 28 June for top military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during this month’s aerial war with Israel, reports Reuters.

At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Forces chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh. State TV said the funeral, dubbed the “procession of the Martyrs of Power”, was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.

In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei’s son Mojtaba. “Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honour and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post. There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.
Full report on the Reuters site