Iran held a state funeral on Saturday for around 60 people, including top military commanders and prominent nuclear scientists, killed during the recent 12-day conflict with Israel.

The funeral, marked by sombre scenes and nationalist fervour, took place near Enghelab Square in central Tehran, drawing massive crowds of mourners clad in black and waving Iranian flags.

Coffins draped in the national flag and bearing portraits of the deceased were laid out in rows, with many attendees chanting slogans in honour of those lost. Among the most high-profile figures being laid to rest was Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s chief of staff and the highest-ranking military officer in the country.

Also included in the funeral rites were Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and several key nuclear scientists, including Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, head of Azad University in Tehran.

The ceremony came days after a ceasefire was brokered, ending nearly two weeks of escalating violence between Iran and Israel. The conflict intensified dramatically after the United States became directly involved, launching airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

US President Donald Trump, whose administration had previously walked away from the Iran nuclear deal, added fuel to the already volatile situation with a series of inflammatory remarks. Speaking at a White House press briefing, Trump told BBC correspondent Nomia Iqbal that he would “absolutely” consider bombing Iran again if intelligence suggested the country was enriching uranium to dangerous levels.

Trump also took to his Truth Social platform to mock Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, over his claim that Iran had emerged victorious in the conflict. Trump dismissed the statement as “a lie” and claimed he had spared Khamenei from an assassination.

“I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death, and he does not have to say, ‘thank you, President Trump!’” Trump posted.

The comments drew a sharp rebuke from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who urged Trump to “put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone” if he was serious about future diplomacy.

“The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had no choice but to run to ‘Daddy’ to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults.” Araghchi wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

While Iran’s leadership maintains that the strikes achieved “nothing significant,” Araghchi admitted that “excessive and serious” damage had been done to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The state funeral serves not only as a moment of national mourning but also as a defiant show of resilience by Tehran, reinforcing its narrative of resistance in the face of external aggression.

Melissa Enoch

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