On Saturday, a national funeral is held in Tehran in honour of senior Iranian military officers and scientists killed in an Israeli attack during the “12-day war”. Early in the morning, a mourning crowd gathered in Enqelab Square to pay tribute to the 60 victims of the attack and express their condolences.

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The ceremony is attended by the political and military leaders of Iran, along with hundreds of thousands of people who have arrived in the capital from different cities. Many individuals bear national flags and some carry emblems of the heroes who were martyrs in recent times.

Among the honorees are the Supreme Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran, Hosein Salami; the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohamad Hosein Baqeri; and Fereydun Abasi, former leader of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (OEAI), who were killed in the early hours of June 13, the day that began Israel’s aggression.

More than 600 Iranians, mostly women and children, were killed in an Israeli attack on military sites, nuclear facilities and residential areas in Iran. In response, the Iranian army launched operation “True Promise III” with hundreds of missiles and drones against Israeli strategic targets, causing serious damage.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian praised the unity of the Iranian people during the funeral for the victims of the Israeli attacks, expressing his honor to serve such a noble and freedom-seeking people. He stressed that the world heard the voice of Iran’s unity during the tribute to the martyrs.

He added, Iranians “have learned from Imam Hussein (PBUH) never to accept humiliation and never to bow to oppression.” Concluding that “Serving such a noble and freedom-seeking people is the greatest honor of my life. Long live Iran, forever.”

For his part, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an X post this Saturday, that “the funeral was not just a farewell ceremony but a demonstration of the national unity in response to terror,” highlighting that the nation had emerged victorious whenever it was challenged on the path of independence, freedom, and dignity.

Araqchi recalled that Iranians with a passionate and meaningful presence, on a day tied to the memory of Ashura, bade farewell and buried men, women, and children who were martyred during the war imposed by the Zionist regime and the United States.

This steadfast presence, Araqchi’s message reads, is not only a sign of the people’s loyalty to their homeland, but also conveyed a clear message to the world that “Iranians turn threats into unity, and war into an opportunity to realize a national will.”

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