A week of death
July 10, 2026
Salam reader,
This week, after four months, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—who was killed in an Israeli airstrike sanctioned by the United States on the first day of the war on February 28—was buried. The multi-day funeral procession, which at one point included the coffins of his daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and granddaughter, who were all killed alongside him, began on July 4 in Tehran before extending to the holy city of Qom, Iraq, and finally his birthplace in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, where he was laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine on July 9 (New York Times). (Read my obituary of him for The Guardian)
What apparently surprised some were the crowds, including President Donald Trump, who was reportedly surprised to see some Iranians crying at the funeral. Trump said he thought people hated Khamenei, adding, “Maybe it’s fake tears.” (Axios)
Iranian officials said they expected between 12 and 15 million visitors over six days of mourning (Financial Times). The Persian-language fact-checking platform Factnameh said that, based on aerial footage of Tehran’s Mosalla mosque, around 300,000 people were present. The mosque, which has remained unfinished for four decades, has become a symbol of the elder Khamenei’s failures (New York Times).
The number of supporters shouldn’t be surprising. The Islamic Republic still enjoys genuine support among its core base—one that has dwindled greatly over the past 47 years. Then there’s the reality that many people are bused to these events or compelled by their employment to attend—something that has historically occurred at pro-regime rallies.
Numerous Western journalists—including from CNN, The Guardian, and The New York Times—and propagandists attended to cover the multi-city procession (X/X/X). Washington Post Director of Press Freedom Initiatives Jason Rezaian raised the question of whether it was worthwhile to cover the event when journalists’ mobility is restricted under an authoritarian regime, while those same journalists were barred from covering the January anti-regime uprising (Substack).
Many senior officials attended the main ceremony, including IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Among the noticeably absent, however, were former presidents Mohammad Khatami, Hassan Rouhani, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As CNN wrote, “Their absence cast doubt on Tehran’s ‘unity’ mantra, which has dominated rhetoric throughout Khamenei’s week-long funeral proceedings.” That being said, Ahmadinejad did attend a walking procession on July 6, debunking speculation that he had been killed or was under house arrest (IranWire).
But the person who mattered most was neither seen nor heard from in audio or video: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the heir to his father’s turban. While officials have attributed his absence to fears of assassination, his invisibility has fueled the belief among some that he may not be alive.
Foreign dignitaries from various countries attended, with the highest-ranking being Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, who played a key role as a mediator between Washington and Tehran (The National). Most other delegations were lower-ranking officials, including from Saudi Arabia.
After the Tehran and Qom procession, Khamenei’s body was taken to Iraq’s Shia holy cities of Najaf, home to the shrine of Imam Ali, the first Imam of Shia Islam, and Karbala, home to the shrine of Imam Hussein (AP). The coffin was escorted by top officials from Tehran, including President Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani (Amwaj.media).
The timing of the funeral also carried deep symbolism: it took place during Muharram, the holy month when Shia Muslims commemorate Imam Hussein’s martyrdom at the Battle of Karbala. But for Iraqis, the funeral also sparked controversy, especially amid newly elected Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s scheduled visit to Washington and his pressure to move away from Tehran (Amwaj.media).
The symbolism matters, nonetheless. As the Financial Times reported:
“It is not unusual for the body of a pious Shia Muslim to be taken to the Najaf shrine before interment. But there is little precedent for a foreign dignitary to be venerated in this way—particularly one so polarising at home and abroad. Najaf and Karbala confer a kind of religious capital that Tehran cannot manufacture on its own. But the regime is seeking to turn the event into a transnational rallying cry, a show of force to demonstrate that despite recent blows landed against Tehran and its network of regional proxies—the so-called axis of resistance—it can still mobilize enormous crowds.”
Tehranis traditionally head north toward the Caspian Sea during religious holidays, and this week was no exception, with heavy traffic on roads leading out of the capital.
For some anti-regime Iranians, the four months of Khamenei’s body remaining in storage represented a form of karmic justice, according to some of their social media posts. Some had been denied the bodies of loved ones killed by security forces or prevented from giving them proper burials after the January massacre.
A 30-year-old man in Tehran:
“Look, if I think deeply about it, then I get angry that they’ve shut down the city for someone who ruined lives. But honestly, I’m at the point where I just don’t care.” (CNN)
Over the week, there were also countless calls for revenge for Khamenei’s death. Iranians carried a long red banner over their heads that read “We will kill Trump” in Persian and English (Financial Times). Others chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” (X/) A Lego effigy of Trump was even set ablaze (X).
The hardline Kayhan newspaper, which was/is considered the mouthpiece of the Supreme Leader, published a piece titled “We Want Trump’s Head” and offered a $100 million bounty for assassinating the US president in retaliation for the 2020 US drone strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.
Calls to kill Trump were a recurring theme throughout the funeral, including banners featuring bullseyes on far-right activists, and even Senator Lindsey Graham, who responded: “At least they used a good photo of me. Judge me by my enemies.” (X) Not surprisingly, Israel shared new intelligence with the United States indicating a fresh Iranian plot to assassinate the US president (Wall Street Journal). Trump said, “They want to take out the US leader—me. I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”
One source told CNN the Israeli warning related to a specific plot identified this week, while another source said the US had picked up intelligence in recent weeks. However, “other American officials suggested the Israeli report could be an effort to sway Trump’s decision-making as he weighs whether to intensify American military action against Iran.” (CNN)
All of this unfolded amid continued tit-for-tat strikes between Washington and Tehran (New York Times). Following Iranian strikes on July 8, Trump said:
“They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people, and they’re vicious, violent people. Far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars … there’s something wrong with them. They’re cuckoo. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over (referring to the Memorandum of Understanding). They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time. They’re a bunch of lying guys. They’re bad people, and frankly, I don’t want to waste my time with them. Now, I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it.” (Washington Post)
That said, technical talks remain ongoing, according to a US official (CNBC).
Meanwhile, anti-regime Iranians had the January massacre mostly on their mind as July 8-9 marked its sixth-month anniversary. One viral video showed a wedding where a bride honored the memories of those who were killed—people who would never get the chance to experience their own special day (X)
I’ll leave you with this music video (with English subtitles) by Iran-based dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi, released with the contemporary folk music ensemble Rastak, about the massacre and how the embers of change continue to burn…
More soon,
Holly
P.S. Feel free to follow me on X for real-time updates and on LinkedIn, where I’ve been sharing additional interviews and commentary.
Thank you, Holly.