Thousands of people took to the streets of major Iranian cities on Sunday to mourn the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday at the start of the US and Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.
In the capital, Tehran, thousands of people gathered in Revolution Square (Enghelab), most dressed in black and waving Iranian flags and photographs of Khamenei despite the ongoing bombing, which continued for a second day.
Iranian state media also reported gatherings in Isfahan, Shiraz, Yasuj, Hamedan, Ahvaz, Birjand, Yazd, Joibar, Sahneh, Karaj, Sumehsara, Shahrekord, Tabriz, and Lorestan. In Mashhad, Khamenei supporters gathered around the shrine of Imam Reza, according to images broadcast on Iranian state television.
These gatherings would complement those called by the Islamic Propaganda Coordination Council in 17 squares across Tehran following the Maghrib and Isha prayers, the last two of the day.
Iranian authorities have declared 40 days of mourning for the death of Khamenei in a message broadcast by state media, emphasizing that the death of the Iranian religious and political leader at his compound in Tehran “demonstrates that he was with the people and on the front lines of his responsibilities, confronting global arrogance,” a term used to refer to the United States.
