Clad in black, people threw petals onto the coffins, including the tiny casket of Khamenei’s granddaughter, who was only 14 months old when she was killed, according to state media.
“We will avenge the blood of the martyrs and our martyred imam from these criminals,” said a man, 63, who gave his surname as Kazemi.
People carried blood-red flags – symbols of vengeance in Shia Islam – as well as slogans including “Kill Trump” and images of Mojtaba Khamenei.
“I came with honour and pride to show all the people of the world how much we loved him (Ali Khamenei) and how committed we are to the system, the people and the Islamic republic,” said Melika Nourian, 22, a university student.
MESSAGE TO “ENEMIES”
Another truck was adorned with images of top Iranian and pro-Tehran officials killed in recent years, including the head of the overseas operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards, the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike on Iraq in 2020.
“The leadership of the martyr taught everyone that Iran’s greatest asset is its people and their unity,” President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was among the mourners, wrote on X.
Other figures shown attending by state media included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and the current head of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani.
The head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, whose predecessor Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike in March, made his first appearance in public since being named at the procession, state television showed.
“The presence of millions of people with red flags and slogans, demanding bloodshed, is a clear message from the Iranian nation to its enemies,” Iranian media quoted him as saying.
State media also showed images of Mahmood Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013, taking part. Ahmadinejad had fallen out with Khamenei in the latter part of his presidency and had not been seen since the war began.