Iran Holds State Funeral for Military Commanders and Nuclear Scientists

Thousands of mourners thronged the streets of Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Saturday at a funeral procession for about 60 people killed in the war with Israel, including some of the country’s top military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Live coverage by Iranian state television showed streets that were barren during the 12-day war now packed for the state funeral. Participants waved green, red and white Iranian flags, red banners with religious slogans or branches of white flowers.

The often-heard public chants in the Islamic Republic, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” rang out as trucks with caskets in the back inched along the route between two of Tehran’s main squares. From there, the caskets were expected to be transferred for burial at various cemeteries. Some of the deceased will be interred with their families.

There was no sign of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but President Masoud Pezeshkian marched in the procession.

The funeral was a reminder of the heavy toll Iran had paid not only in losses from the top echelon of its military forces, but also from its contentious nuclear program. Among more than 600 people killed in the Israeli attacks, 90 of them were military personnel, according to Iranian state television. The dead included at least 11 prominent nuclear scientists.

The coffins were covered in a clear wrap over an Iranian flag and scattered with rose petals. One truck held the caskets of children, according to Press TV, a state media outlet. As the dead passed, mourners reached out to kiss or touch the coffins.