Iran unites in a massive funeral for high-ranking officials killed by Israel.

Tens of thousands of people bid farewell this Saturday in Tehran to those they consider the main martyrs of the so-called 12-day war against Israel, fought between June 13—when the Israeli government launched its offensive against Iran—and June 24, when the ceasefire imposed by the United States took effect. The country is holding a state funeral for about 60 of the approximately 600 people killed in the conflict. Among them are approximately 25 commanders of Iranian security forces and scientists, as well as four women, four minors, and several journalists.

Gradually, the coffins wrapped in the national flag are advancing on trucks through crowded streets where citizens line up to watch the procession over a stretch of several kilometers. Among those receiving the final farewell from the people and the regime are former chief of the Armed Forces, Mohamed Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, both assassinated by Israel during its offensive.

The atmosphere in the streets of Tehran during the procession is one of mourning and indignation, according to images provided by local media, with traditional slogans against the Jewish state and the United States, seen as Iran’s two main enemies. The ceremony is attended by President Masud Pezeshkian, accompanied by other high-ranking officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Despite the tense atmosphere, the foreign minister does not rule out resuming negotiations on the nuclear agreement with the United States, which were interrupted when the crossfire between Israel and Iran began. Also seen with a cane is Ali Shamkhani, the advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Shamkhani, who had been rumored dead, was injured in one of the attacks.

Most attendees are dressed in black, holding portraits of the fallen and waving national flags while organizers showcase various models of missiles. “No to surrender,” some of the attendees are also shouting, apparently alluding to negotiations with Washington regarding the Iranian nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump, who last Saturday supported the Israeli offensive by dropping hundreds of tons of bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities, now aims to bring the theocratic regime to the table to reach an agreement.

Ali Khamenei has sought with Saturday’s funerals a grand and ostentatious display to show that the attacks suffered have not undermined popular support for the Islamic Revolution that he heads and which was established by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. In recent days, as during the nearly two weeks of conflict, Trump has tried, in a paternalistic tone, to belittle Khamenei, implying that if he is still alive and not occupying one of the coffins in the funeral procession, it is because he saved his life by preventing his assassination, as he “exactly” knew where he was hiding.

“If President Trump really wants an agreement, he should set aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards the Supreme Leader of Iran, the great Ayatollah Khamenei,” warned the Iranian foreign minister via the social media platform X, thus leaving the door open to resuming dialogue. According to the Iranian foreign minister, Israel has no choice but to turn to “dad” United States to avoid being crushed by missiles that the Islamic Republic was launching in response to the Israeli offensive.

After a ceasefire like the one last Tuesday, it is common for both contenders to portray themselves as victors. And this has happened. Ali Khamenei asserted on Thursday, in his only message to the nation after the ceasefire, that the nuclear program has not suffered significant damage. “The Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” he stated, while assuring he had dealt “a hard slap” to the United States.

Israel has also declared victory, emphasizing that its two main objectives have been achieved: to destroy the Iranian nuclear program and its missile production. There are serious doubts about this, and some analysts are sure that Tehran will resume its uranium enrichment program (a program that the Islamic Republic insists is solely for civilian use and not to develop a nuclear bomb, as suspected by Israel and the United States).

The scenes witnessed this Saturday are reminiscent of those following the assassination in Iraq, during a U.S. bombing in Trump’s first term, of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, then head of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard. At that time, several of the high-ranking officials who were buried today presided over the funeral rites alongside a grieving Khamenei. Soleimani’s coffin, along with other deceased in that attack, was transported on the roof of a refrigerated truck through the streets of Tehran while some attendees burned Israeli and U.S. flags.

While maintaining a warlike stance while calling for negotiations, the U.S. president does not rule out attacking Iran again if he deems it necessary, that is, if the Islamic Republic resumes its nuclear program.