Iran funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei draw officials as US-Iran negotiations continue

Senior Iranian officials and relatives of the new supreme leader appeared in public on Sunday. They attended funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. The turnout suggested confidence about security during the mourning period. The gathering came as Iran resisted US demands in talks. Those negotiations aimed to end the war permanently.

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Hundreds of thousands joined the funeral events and chanted "Death to America\" and \"Death to Israel\". Many demanded revenge for the February 28 attack. That strike killed the 86-year-old Khamenei and other senior figures. Some hard-liners also called for the assassination of US President Donald Trump.

Iran funeral and US negotiations amid Strait of Hormuz dispute

Negotiations with the US continued alongside the mourning, but officials suggested talks may pause. The US sought full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and limits on Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran demanded some control over the waterway. Iran had closed it during the war. A ceasefire took effect in April.

The US assisted 70 transits through the Strait of Hormuz over 72 hours, a maritime body said. It included 18 transits on Saturday. The body said routes near Oman and Iran stayed steady. Traffic remained below prewar levels. It added the threat level was substantial. Mine clearance and surveying continued.

Iran funeral ceremonies and absence of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear at the ceremonies, held over several days. Reports said Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the airstrike and was hiding. During the war, Israel targeted top leaders. In one case, public appearances likely helped fix locations. Israel also threatened to kill Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Ziba Naderi, a 42-year-old nurse at the funeral, spoke about leadership during the crisis. \"I heard the call for revenge, but our leader should say what we need to do,\" Ziba Naderi said. \"And we must listen to him.\" The comments came as many mourners called for action against Iran’s enemies.

Iran funeral prayers led by Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani

Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shiite cleric, led prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla. Prayers were held for the late Khamenei and relatives killed in the strike. Khamenei’s sons Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa attended. They had not been seen since the war. The crowd on Sunday was larger than Saturday.

Several senior officials were also seen at the Grand Mosalla. They included President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Esmail Qaani, who leads the Quds Force, attended as well. Revolutionary Guard head Gen. Ahmad Vahidi appeared wearing a black baseball cap. Plainclothes security forces surrounded Gen. Ahmad Vahidi.

Iran funeral crowd calls for revenge and mentions Trump

Posters and graffiti at the site called for killing Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. \"Why is the biggest bastard in the world still alive?\" Mohammad Rasouli said. Mohammad Rasouli emceed the event before the prayers. \"The world is no longer a good place for Trump,\" Mohammad Rasouli added. The crowd cheered loudly.

Some mourners repeated threats against Trump by name. \"I came here to shout and seek revenge,\" Gholamreza Sabooni said. \"They killed our imam, we should kill their leader, Trump.\" At the same time, Trump spoke in Washington, DC. \"We’ve had tremendous success,\" Trump said about the US military. \"You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran. We wiped it out, wiped out their military.\"

US authorities have tracked Iranian threats against Trump and other officials for years. The concern followed Trump ordering the 2020 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Gen. Qassem Soleimani had led the Quds Force. Iran has repeatedly denied plotting to kill Trump. Hard-line propaganda footage has suggested Trump was in Tehran’s crosshairs. Trump also threatened Iran’s \"very civilization\" during the war.

Iran funeral schedule and impact on US talks

Authorities planned to move Khamenei’s body to cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq. Officials planned to drive caskets through Tehran streets on Monday. Streets, airspace and daily life were shut down for mourning. The ceremonies were set to end Thursday. Khamenei was to be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

Authorities did not provide attendance figures for Saturday and Sunday events. Other Iranian cities also held mourning ceremonies. Talks on a lasting end to the war appeared paused until the funeral ended. The ceremonies also projected unity and defiance during disputes with the US. Those disputes included Hezbollah and Iran’s nuclear programme.

One mourner linked the funeral mood to Iran’s foreign policy choices. \"Our foreign policy should not be shaped in a way that allows our martyred leaders blood to be dishonored and other countries can afford to do such things, without any serious response from our government and diplomatic system,\" Mohammad Reza Sharifi said. The statement reflected anger heard across the crowd.

With inputs from PTI