Iranian Officials Attend Tehran Prayers for Slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on July 5 for funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died at age 86 following a February 28 airstrike. Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, 97, led the prayers at the Grand Mosalla mosque. Khamenei's sons Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa attended, along with President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force.

Revolutionary Guard head Gen. Ahmad Vahidi appeared publicly for the first time since the war on July 3. Mourners chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and called for revenge over the strike. Some called for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump. Ziba Naderi, a 42-year-old nurse, said Iran must listen to Mojtaba Khamenei's commands.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son and reported successor, has not appeared in public since the attack and is reported to have suffered significant injuries during the Israel-U.S. strikes. His body will be transported through Tehran streets on July 6 and buried July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. The funeral procession will also visit five cities in Iran and Iraq.

President Trump, speaking in Washington on the 250th anniversary of U.S. founding, said, "We've had tremendous success. You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran." The U.S. assisted 70 transits of the Strait of Hormuz in the 72 hours ending July 5. The vessels' operators have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government.