• Anger in Iran: Mourners prayed over the coffin of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a poet reading a piece attacking US President Donald Trump and a politician calling for “blood vengeance,” as signs of defiance and anger begin to appear on the second day of the funeral.
• Funeral ceremonies: Iranian leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, prayed over the coffins of Khamenei and family members displayed in the ceremony. Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen at the funeral, though video showed three of his other sons at the ceremony.
• Netanyahu-Trump meeting: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to visit Washington to meet Trump as early as Monday, according to an Israeli source. The two leaders have not met in person since before the war began.
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The streets of Tehran were noticeably fuller Sunday as funeral events for the late Iranian supreme leader gathered pace. Overnight, the faithful crowded the mosque complex where the bodies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family lie in state.
Through the morning, a river of mourners dressed in black flowed from the Grand Mosalla. Pilgrims offered refreshment from stalls lining nearby roads.
A defiant call for revenge marked almost every conversation the CNN team in Tehran had with mourners.
“This is by itself the revenge,” Sara, 45, said of the crowds strolling past. “They should understand that the unity of the people is the revenge.”
Aziz Hatemi, 58, said he had driven some 1,000 km across the country to attend the funeral.
“Our strength is shown here,” he told CNN.
Fear over airstrikes on Iran, which pervaded many conversations with locals during the war, has evaporated. But a deep anger, especially at the killing of the late Khamenei, still marks almost every conversation.
On US President Donald Trump, the message in the crowds, dominated by the country’s conservative majority, was simple.
“We hope he and his family will all die,” Mrs Baqat, 54, told CNN.
CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government but maintains full editorial control of its reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to visit Washington to meet with President Donald Trump as early as next Monday, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter.
The source said the two leaders will discuss Iran and a new security agreement between Israel and the US. The current agreement between the two countries in which Israel receives $3.8 billion per year is set to expire in 2028.
Normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia will also be on the agenda, the source said, which has been a priority for Trump. Saudi leaders have repeatedly made it clear they will not move toward normalization without a viable path to a Palestinian state.
The two leaders, who have not met in person since before the war with Iran, spoke on the phone on Friday evening and agreed to schedule a meeting in the near future. In an interview with Axios on Saturday, Trump said Netanyahu “knows who the boss is.”
CNN reported in mid-June that Netanyahu sought an “urgent” meeting with Trump amid growing tension over the negotiations with Iran and the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. At the time, the Prime Minister’s Office denied the report.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Crowds have again gathered in Tehran on the second day of funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The huge public funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signals “tremendous confidence” in the continuity of Iran’s operations and the debut of its new leadership, Mehran Kamrava, Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Qatar told CNN.
“I think what the government is trying to signal to its domestic constituents is that the state is operating, the leadership is united, and it’s business as usual. But with new leadership,” he said.
Asked about the impact of successor Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence, Kamrava questioned the official explanation of security concerns, especially given the public appearance of other senior figures, and pointed to previous reports of his injury.
Video from Iranian state media shows Iranian leaders praying over coffins on the second day of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — Iran’s top negotiator in talks with the US — and Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of Iran’s judiciary, were among those seen present.
A performer at the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday targeted US President Donald Trump in a poem read out to a huge crowd gathered in Tehran to attend the multi-day event.
The poet read out a strongly worded piece criticizing Trump, according to the Associated Press news agency. The AP reported the crowd responded with chants attacking the US and Israel.
Signs of anger over the loss of Khamenei have begun to appear on the second day of the slain leader’s funeral. Iranian state media shared an interview with a politician, who said on a show that mourners’ “main slogan” was “a call for blood vengeance.”
The coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was carried out of the mosalla by several mourners at the funeral ceremony in Tehran on Sunday morning.
Prayers were sung over a tannoy to the crowd which responded in song. Some were seen drying their eyes with handkerchiefs in a Reuters live video of the scene.
Khamenei’s coffin, and several others, were carried to a raised platform at the funeral prayer site, with a smaller casket placed above the rest. A senior religious authority was to lead the prayer over Khamenei’s body, Iranian state media said.
Photos released by state media showed officials lined up in front of the coffin. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was among those in the front row, Iranian state media reported.
Video from Reuters also showed three of Khamenei’s sons — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud — at the ceremony. His successor and second son Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since February, was not present.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Morning has broken in Iran’s capital Tehran where thousands of mourners have gathered for the second day of a public funeral for the country’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
A prayer ceremony began early morning local time at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran where Khamenei’s body has been lying in state since Saturday, according to Iranian semi-official media.
As dawn broke, thousands of mourners had already gathered outside the mosalla to pay their respects, as seen in footage from semi-official news agency IRNA.
Prayers echoed through a tannoy to the crowd with some gently waving the national flag.
Funeral prayers will also be offered to four members of his family who perished in the same US-Israeli strike that killed Khamenei, semi-official media said.
It’s Sunday morning in Iran and the country is in the second day of a multi-day funeral for its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
While large crowds of mourners turned up at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where the coffins of Khamenei and several members of his family are on display, his son and successor Mojtaba has not been seen yet.
Here’s what we know:
Leader’s whereabouts: Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since the start of the war in February. He also did not attend a private ceremony for his late wife earlier in the week. He has been communicating with his supporters only through written statements shared by Iranian media.
Funeral ceremonies: The second day is dedicated to funeral prayers for Khamenei. A public farewell ceremony, which began on Saturday, will continue after. Around 15 million people are expected to take part in the ceremonies in the coming days, said Iran’s Health Ministry. Iranian authorities also thanked foreign dignitaries for attending the funeral.
Mourners’ anger: A CNN team in Tehran spoke to some of the people attending Khamenei’s funeral. They expressed anger and sorrow at the loss of their leader, some vowing revenge.
In Lebanon: The Israeli military said it killed an “armed militant” in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The attack comes a little over a week after Israel and the Lebanese government signed a US-brokered agreement outlining an Israeli withdrawal from two areas in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu-Trump meeting: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with US President Donald Trump, in which they agreed to meet in Washington soon, according to an Israeli readout. Trump confirmed the meeting in a phone interview with Axios’ Barak Ravid, and added that Netanyahu “knows who the boss is.”
Strait of Hormuz: Several vessels attempting to traverse the waterway on Saturday by hugging the Omani coast turned back abruptly, tracking data appears to show, highlighting difficulties in the strait despite early signs of recovery. At least three more vessels – which initially turned back around the same time as the other ships – later traversed the strait, closer to the Iranian side of the waterway.
Even as huge crowds fill the Iranian capital for funeral ceremonies for the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in a US-Israeli strike, the whereabouts of his son, Iran’s new supreme leader, remain unknown.
Mojtaba Khamenei is yet to make a public appearance, adding to doubts about his health and fueling questions over who is leading the nation.
While the Iranian government has detailed a number of events, no plans have been announced for Mojtaba to appear, although any such decision would unlikely be made public in advance given security considerations.
Mojtaba is thought to have been wounded in the attack that killed his father, his mother and his wife.
He has remained in hiding since the war began in late February, communicating with his supporters only through written statements shared by Iranian media and attributed to him. He has never shown his face or used his voice.
• Anger in Iran: Mourners prayed over the coffin of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a poet reading a piece attacking US President Donald Trump and a politician calling for “blood vengeance,” as signs of defiance and anger begin to appear on the second day of the funeral.
• Funeral ceremonies: Iranian leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, prayed over the coffins of Khamenei and family members displayed in the ceremony. Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen at the funeral, though video showed three of his other sons at the ceremony.
• Netanyahu-Trump meeting: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to visit Washington to meet Trump as early as Monday, according to an Israeli source. The two leaders have not met in person since before the war began.
The streets of Tehran were noticeably fuller Sunday as funeral events for the late Iranian supreme leader gathered pace. Overnight, the faithful crowded the mosque complex where the bodies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family lie in state.
Through the morning, a river of mourners dressed in black flowed from the Grand Mosalla. Pilgrims offered refreshment from stalls lining nearby roads.
A defiant call for revenge marked almost every conversation the CNN team in Tehran had with mourners.
“This is by itself the revenge,” Sara, 45, said of the crowds strolling past. “They should understand that the unity of the people is the revenge.”
Aziz Hatemi, 58, said he had driven some 1,000 km across the country to attend the funeral.
“Our strength is shown here,” he told CNN.
Fear over airstrikes on Iran, which pervaded many conversations with locals during the war, has evaporated. But a deep anger, especially at the killing of the late Khamenei, still marks almost every conversation.
On US President Donald Trump, the message in the crowds, dominated by the country’s conservative majority, was simple.
“We hope he and his family will all die,” Mrs Baqat, 54, told CNN.
CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government but maintains full editorial control of its reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to visit Washington to meet with President Donald Trump as early as next Monday, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter.
The source said the two leaders will discuss Iran and a new security agreement between Israel and the US. The current agreement between the two countries in which Israel receives $3.8 billion per year is set to expire in 2028.
Normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia will also be on the agenda, the source said, which has been a priority for Trump. Saudi leaders have repeatedly made it clear they will not move toward normalization without a viable path to a Palestinian state.
The two leaders, who have not met in person since before the war with Iran, spoke on the phone on Friday evening and agreed to schedule a meeting in the near future. In an interview with Axios on Saturday, Trump said Netanyahu “knows who the boss is.”
CNN reported in mid-June that Netanyahu sought an “urgent” meeting with Trump amid growing tension over the negotiations with Iran and the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. At the time, the Prime Minister’s Office denied the report.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Crowds have again gathered in Tehran on the second day of funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The huge public funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signals “tremendous confidence” in the continuity of Iran’s operations and the debut of its new leadership, Mehran Kamrava, Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Qatar told CNN.
“I think what the government is trying to signal to its domestic constituents is that the state is operating, the leadership is united, and it’s business as usual. But with new leadership,” he said.
Asked about the impact of successor Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence, Kamrava questioned the official explanation of security concerns, especially given the public appearance of other senior figures, and pointed to previous reports of his injury.
Video from Iranian state media shows Iranian leaders praying over coffins on the second day of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — Iran’s top negotiator in talks with the US — and Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of Iran’s judiciary, were among those seen present.
A performer at the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday targeted US President Donald Trump in a poem read out to a huge crowd gathered in Tehran to attend the multi-day event.
The poet read out a strongly worded piece criticizing Trump, according to the Associated Press news agency. The AP reported the crowd responded with chants attacking the US and Israel.
Signs of anger over the loss of Khamenei have begun to appear on the second day of the slain leader’s funeral. Iranian state media shared an interview with a politician, who said on a show that mourners’ “main slogan” was “a call for blood vengeance.”
The coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was carried out of the mosalla by several mourners at the funeral ceremony in Tehran on Sunday morning.
Prayers were sung over a tannoy to the crowd which responded in song. Some were seen drying their eyes with handkerchiefs in a Reuters live video of the scene.
Khamenei’s coffin, and several others, were carried to a raised platform at the funeral prayer site, with a smaller casket placed above the rest. A senior religious authority was to lead the prayer over Khamenei’s body, Iranian state media said.
Photos released by state media showed officials lined up in front of the coffin. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was among those in the front row, Iranian state media reported.
Video from Reuters also showed three of Khamenei’s sons — Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud — at the ceremony. His successor and second son Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since February, was not present.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Morning has broken in Iran’s capital Tehran where thousands of mourners have gathered for the second day of a public funeral for the country’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
A prayer ceremony began early morning local time at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran where Khamenei’s body has been lying in state since Saturday, according to Iranian semi-official media.
As dawn broke, thousands of mourners had already gathered outside the mosalla to pay their respects, as seen in footage from semi-official news agency IRNA.
Prayers echoed through a tannoy to the crowd with some gently waving the national flag.
Funeral prayers will also be offered to four members of his family who perished in the same US-Israeli strike that killed Khamenei, semi-official media said.
It’s Sunday morning in Iran and the country is in the second day of a multi-day funeral for its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
While large crowds of mourners turned up at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where the coffins of Khamenei and several members of his family are on display, his son and successor Mojtaba has not been seen yet.
Here’s what we know:
Leader’s whereabouts: Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since the start of the war in February. He also did not attend a private ceremony for his late wife earlier in the week. He has been communicating with his supporters only through written statements shared by Iranian media.
Funeral ceremonies: The second day is dedicated to funeral prayers for Khamenei. A public farewell ceremony, which began on Saturday, will continue after. Around 15 million people are expected to take part in the ceremonies in the coming days, said Iran’s Health Ministry. Iranian authorities also thanked foreign dignitaries for attending the funeral.
Mourners’ anger: A CNN team in Tehran spoke to some of the people attending Khamenei’s funeral. They expressed anger and sorrow at the loss of their leader, some vowing revenge.
In Lebanon: The Israeli military said it killed an “armed militant” in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The attack comes a little over a week after Israel and the Lebanese government signed a US-brokered agreement outlining an Israeli withdrawal from two areas in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu-Trump meeting: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with US President Donald Trump, in which they agreed to meet in Washington soon, according to an Israeli readout. Trump confirmed the meeting in a phone interview with Axios’ Barak Ravid, and added that Netanyahu “knows who the boss is.”
Strait of Hormuz: Several vessels attempting to traverse the waterway on Saturday by hugging the Omani coast turned back abruptly, tracking data appears to show, highlighting difficulties in the strait despite early signs of recovery. At least three more vessels – which initially turned back around the same time as the other ships – later traversed the strait, closer to the Iranian side of the waterway.
Even as huge crowds fill the Iranian capital for funeral ceremonies for the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in a US-Israeli strike, the whereabouts of his son, Iran’s new supreme leader, remain unknown.
Mojtaba Khamenei is yet to make a public appearance, adding to doubts about his health and fueling questions over who is leading the nation.
While the Iranian government has detailed a number of events, no plans have been announced for Mojtaba to appear, although any such decision would unlikely be made public in advance given security considerations.
Mojtaba is thought to have been wounded in the attack that killed his father, his mother and his wife.
He has remained in hiding since the war began in late February, communicating with his supporters only through written statements shared by Iranian media and attributed to him. He has never shown his face or used his voice.
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