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Iran Holds State Funeral for Supreme Leader After US-Israeli Strike
Developing
In Short: Iran marks the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei with a historic funeral, as the country grapples with the aftermath of a US-Israeli airstrike.
Iran is marking the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei with a state funeral, which begins on Saturday in Tehran and will conclude with his burial in Mashhad on Thursday. Khamenei, a key figure in Iran's recent history, was instrumental in suppressing protests and developing the country's asymmetric warfare strategy, according to reports.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, criticized European countries for their stance on the US-Israeli attacks, calling their position 'truly shameful.' The funeral, organized by Iran's first vice-president, Mohammad Reza Aref, is being described as the most significant event of this century and the most attended since the 1979 revolution.
Aref emphasized Khamenei's enduring legacy, stating, 'He has a place in our hearts and souls, and for all of us, for our beloved Iran, and for the Islamic nation, he is permanent and eternal, and we will never say goodbye to him.
The head of the judiciary urged western leaders to 'open their history books,' a statement likely aimed at highlighting Iran's perspective on its recent conflicts and the significance of Khamenei's role in them.
Background
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest.
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- He had been instrumental in crushing the January protests, and also had a hand in the asymmetric warfare strategy that allowed the Iranian government to claim that its military survival in the 40-day war was a great…
- Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, accused European countries of standing on the “wrong side of history” and called their stance on the US-Israeli attacks on Iran “truly shameful”.
- Iran’s first vice-president, Mohammad Reza Aref, who is the lead funeral organiser, said the ceremony, which begins on Saturday in Tehran and will end with Khamenei’s burial on Thursday in Mashhad, would be “the most…
- Khamenei, he said, “has a place in our hearts and souls, and for all of us, for our beloved Iran, and for the Islamic nation, he is permanent and eternal, and we will never say goodbye to him”.
- The head of the judiciary told western leaders to open their history books.