Iran’s hardliners demand revenge as Khamenei funeral procession moves through Tehran

Millions of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran on Monday for the largest day of funeral ceremonies honoring slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as hardline newspapers and military commanders intensified calls for retribution against the United States and Israel.

Calls for Blood

Hardline Iranian publications used the occasion to demand vengeance. The ultraconservative Asr-e Iranian, a newspaper aligned with the Paydari Party, ran the front-page headline "Blood for blood," declaring that revenge was "the right of the people and the duty of officials." Another hardline daily, Nobonyad, asked: "Why shouldn't we kill the one who killed our leader?"iranintl+1

A group of senior commanders in Iran's armed forces sent a letter to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei pledging to "avenge the blood of the martyred leader" and act against "the suspects of murder" — President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — vowing to fight "until the last drop of their blood." A senior advisor to the new leader declared on state television that "the murderers of the martyred Imam will not die a natural death."theweek

Judiciary Threats and Reported IRGC Unit

Iran's judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said the Islamic Republic would hold the United States accountable for Khamenei's killing, with Iranian media reporting he invoked charges that carry the death penalty. In late June, Ejei had announced the judiciary's intention to pursue domestic and international legal cases over what he called crimes by "international criminals" and "arrogant powers," following a directive from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.themedialine+1

Separately, Israel's Channel 14 reported that intelligence suggests the IRGC Quds Force has established a new unit called "Mukhtar" tasked with planning attacks against U.S. officials, including Trump. The report claimed the unit is cooperating with Mexican cartels and Iranians living abroad, though no source for the intelligence was disclosed.theweek

Airspace Closures and Path to Burial

Tehran's airspace was fully closed on Monday, with all flights at Mehrabad International Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport suspended during the public procession. Authorities announced a similar closure over Mashhad on July 9, when Khamenei will be buried at the shrine of Imam Reza in his birthplace.aljazeera+2

Khamenei, 86, was killed alongside family members and over a dozen senior military officials in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, the opening day of the war against Iran. The funeral, originally planned for March, was postponed as the conflict continued. The six-day ceremony, which began July 3, will pass through Qom and the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before concluding in Mashhad.npr+3