Iran Vows Revenge for Ayatollah Khamenei's Death
Iran has vowed to avenge the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The country’s top security body has stressed that retaliation will be carried out ‘at the appropriate time’.
‘The clenched fist of the martyred Leader at the time of his passing will remain an eternal symbol of Iran’s national security doctrine,’ said Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in a statement reported by Press TV on Thursday. Zolqadr, a veteran commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was appointed to the top security post on 24 March following the assassination of his predecessor Ali Larijani in a US-Israeli attack, issued the warning ahead of Khamenei’s funeral ceremony.
‘The file for avenging the sacred blood of the great Khamenei and Iran’s oppressed martyrs remains open,’ Zolqadr stressed. ‘The perpetrators and those who ordered this crime will, at the appropriate time – which will not be long – face proportionate punishment at the hands of the true elements.’
Iran is currently preparing to hold a grand funeral ceremony for Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike in late February. Large photographs of Khamenei have been installed at the Grand Mosalla complex in Tehran, as workers prepare for the massive ceremony. The funeral, which was delayed due to the escalation of war in the Middle East, is set to take place as Iran and the US observe a ceasefire following the signing of a preliminary agreement to end the conflict.
Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shia adherents, died at the age of 86 at his residence in central Tehran on 28 February, the first day the war erupted. The public funeral ceremony is scheduled to begin on Saturday, 4 July. His body will lie in state at the Grand Mosalla complex, officially known as the Imam Khomeini Mosalla, in central Tehran, a venue typically used for large Friday prayers, official ceremonies, and major religious gatherings. Iranian officials estimate that 15 to 20 million mourners will attend, making it the largest state funeral in the country’s history.