Massive crowds have filled the streets of Tehran as multi-day funeral processions and mourning ceremonies began for Iran’s assassinated Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several members of his family. The events, running through July 9 across various sites in Iran and Iraq, are expected to draw millions of citizens along with numerous foreign officials.
Iran on high security alert
The security situation remains tense. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stern warning against any attempt to attack the country in the coming days, saying any miscalculation would be met with a more decisive and crushing response than ever before.
For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington had given Iran “a week off” for the funeral, saying the U.S. is “being nice” and that the country’s leadership “desperately wants to work things out.”
Chants of “Death to America” at the Tehran Mosalla during the farewell ceremony for the martyred leader Ayatollah Khamenei. pic.twitter.com/VmwtI6oXG9
— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) July 4, 2026
The IRGC has made clear that “any misstep will be met with the most decisive and overwhelming force to be forever remembered in their shameful history”.
Fears of a strike
The warnings follow comments from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said, according to Monday reporting from Israel’s Ynet news agency, that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is a marked target.
The Islamic Republic is on maximum alert for possible attacks during the ceremony, where millions of Iranians and foreign officials are expected to attend; a strike on the crowd could cause mass casualties, and senior regime figures making public appearances face heightened assassination risk.
Reuters video showed security forces patrolling Tehran’s streets, and the country announced a full closure of airspace over the capital for Monday.
A former head of Israeli military intelligence’s Iran desk told CNN that threats are being watched both from the air and on the ground, saying Iranian authorities aren’t willing to take any chances and are guarding everything with extreme caution.
It also remains unclear whether the funeral will mark Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public appearance since the deaths of his father and other family members on the first day of the war.
