Iran will stage a “historic” state funeral on Saturday in Tehran to commemorate 60 individuals killed in its 12-day conflict with Israel. They include high-ranking military officers, nuclear scientists, and their relatives. General Mohammad Bagheri, the second-highest ranked Iranian military officer, is among them. Nuclear physicist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi is also among the dead. Iran will start the national mourning at 8:00 am local time in Enghelab Square, to be followed by a huge funeral procession to Azadi Square, as assured by state authorities.
A Day of Mourning and Military Tribute in Tehran
Saturday, June 28, has been hailed by Iranian authorities as a “historic day for Islamic Iran and the revolution.” The celebration will begin with a short ceremony in downtown Tehran and wind its way through the city in a magnificent procession. The route was announced by Mohsen Mahmoudi, chairman of the Islamic Development Coordination Council of Tehran, in a television interview.
Bagheri was a Revolutionary Guards major general who was second-in-command after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He will be buried along with his wife and daughter. His daughter was a journalist. Nuclear scientist Tehranchi will be buried with his wife. The funeral will also pay tribute to four women and four children.
Israel-Iran Conflict: Heavy Toll
The war broke out on June 13 following pre-emptive Israeli strikes intended to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons development. Iran’s health ministry confirmed that at least 627 individuals were killed in the Israeli raids. More than 4,900 others were wounded. The attacks also took the lives of over 30 of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ top commanders. This includes commander-in-chief Hossein Salami and aerospace chief Amirali Hajizadeh.
Iranian attacks on Israel, retaliating, killed 28. The toll cannot be confirmed from either side, but experts hold the war as the most serious direct confrontation between the two in decades.
Nuclear Negotiations in Jeopardy
The war has also impacted diplomatic relations. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that negotiations with the US regarding the nuclear deal are now made “complicated” due to American strikes.
He explained in a television interview that there was no accord to resume the negotiations. “No time has been set, no promise has been made, and we haven’t even talked about restarting the talks,” Araghchi said.
Iran’s huge funeral march on June 28 will be a demonstration of the nation’s mounting rage and sorrow. The rituals will also convey an atmosphere of defiance in the face of international alarm at the escalating war and deadlocked diplomacy.
