Iranians chant 'kill Trump' as second day of Khamenei's week-long funeral continues in Tehran

The funeral began on Saturday in Tehran with chants of "death to America, death to Israel," and his body is expected to be taken to Qom, Najaf and Kerbala, the great Shi'ite centers of Iran and Iraq.

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Iranians chant 'kill Trump' as second day of Khamenei's week-long funeral continues in Tehran
ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM, REUTERS
JULY 5, 2026 08:25
Updated: JULY 5, 2026 11:47

Iranians were heard chanting "kill Trump, kill Bibi" on the second day of the nation's funeral for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian news outlets shared on Sunday.

Crowds gathered to pay respects at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran as the week-long mourning ceremony continued.

Three sons of the slain Ayatollah prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members on Sunday, but Mojtaba, the son who has succeeded him as Iran's supreme leader, did not make an appearance. Iranian state media said senior clerics would lead funeral prayers in his place.

Khamenei was killed back in February, during the opening strikes of Operation Roaring Lion.

His funeral, delayed due to the ongoing war, began on Saturday with chants of "death to America, death to Israel," while the ceremonies are expected to last at least a week with events across the country.

Television footage showed Khamenei's coffin draped with the Iranian flag and topped with his black turban. It was placed, along with four other coffins of his slain family members, on a large black platform that resembled the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the center of Islam's holiest site in Mecca.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev pays his respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran July 3, 2026.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev pays his respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran July 3, 2026. (credit: Sputnik/Oleg Molchanov/Pool via REUTERS )

Crowds of Iranians, many weeping and some beating their chests, have thronged the Mosalla, including overnight. The Iranian metro railway network said it had clocked 7 million trips from late on Saturday to Sunday morning as people flocked to the center.

Authorities plan to mobilize millions of people for big processions over the coming days, offering transport, food and lodging.

In video posts on other state media news sites, mourners were also heard chanting: "Our slogan is one word: Revenge, revenge," and "We will kill, we will kill he who killed our Imam."

Successor Mojtaba Khamenei not attending, assassination fears

Khamenei's body is expected to be taken to Qom, Najaf and Kerbala, the great Shi'ite centers of Iran and Iraq, before being laid to rest on Thursday in Mashhad, home to the country's holiest pilgrim shrine.

The New York Times reported over the weekend that Mojtaba's absence stemmed from the regime's fear that Israel would attempt to assassinate him during the event. 

State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins laid out in the vast courtyard of Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a sprawling religious complex.

There has still been no public sighting or image released of Mojtaba, said to have been injured in the attack that killed his father and the other family members on February 28, when Israel and the US bombed Iranian targets at the start of the war.

Mojtaba Khamenei's face was disfigured, and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, people close to his inner circle told Reuters.

Iranian general warns of 'harsh response' if Israel, US attack during Khamenei's funeral

Further, in a Friday statement, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, Ali Abdollahi, threatened Israel and the US against making “any miscalculation” during the week-long funeral, warning of “harsh and regrettable responses” in the case of an attack.

Khatam al-Anbiya is the Joint Command of Iran's military.

The statement followed Khamenei's coffin being displayed in an "unannounced event" in Tehran on Thursday, according to footage shared by the State TV broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), on X/Twitter.

Standing alongside the displayed coffin are several Iranian officials, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Ahmad Vahidi in his first public appearance since the start of the Israel-Iran War.

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