The streets of Tehran were flooded with state-orchestrated displays of mourning for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 86-year-old supreme leader whose decades of radicalism and hostility toward the West finally met their end.
Khamenei, who was eliminated in a joint US-Israeli air strike four months ago, was transported through the capital as the regime attempted to project an image of unity following the war that has decimated its leadership ranks.
The procession featured the usual anti-American vitriol, with crowds waving banners calling for vengeance and defacing imagery of President Donald Trump.
While the regime attempts to frame this funeral as a referendum on its legitimacy, the reality remains that Khamenei’s death was a necessary consequence of his persistent threats against Israel and the United States.
His successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains conspicuously absent from the public eye, reportedly wounded in the same strike that killed his father.
As the regime scrambles to maintain control, senior officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani are attempting to signal stability despite the ongoing negotiations to end the war and address Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made the position clear: any leader who threatens the existence of Israel will face the same fate. The funeral ceremonies, which will continue through Qom and into Iraq, serve as a desperate final act for a regime that has long prioritized global aggression over the welfare of its own citizens.
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