Iran Warns US and Israel Against 'Miscalculation' During Khamenei's Funeral

Iran has warned the United States and Israel against launching any attacks during the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asserting that both nations would regret any disruption to the proceedings. Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters in Tehran, urged Iran’s enemies to avoid any ‘miscalculation’ during this period. He stated that the Iranian armed forces would retaliate if any such incident occurred. ‘We warn the enemies of powerful Iran to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh response and regret that the sons of the Iranian nation in the Armed Forces will bring upon any threat or aggression,’ he said. Iranian authorities are planning funeral ceremonies for Khamenei from 4 to 9 July at various locations in Iran and Iraq. The funeral comes months after Khamenei’s death in an airstrike on the first day of the US-Israel war with Iran on 28 February. The multi-day processions are scheduled to take place between Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad in Iran, as well as Najaf and Karbala in Iraq. The country’s top security body previously warned that those responsible for the former Supreme Leader’s death would face retaliation ‘at the appropriate time’ as the nation prepares for the grand funeral. ‘The clenched fist of the martyred Leader at the moment of his passing will forever remain a symbol of the national security doctrine of Iran,’ said Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Zolqadr, a veteran IRGC commander appointed to the top security post on 24 March after the assassination of his predecessor Ali Larijani in a US-Israeli attack, stressed that ‘the case for avenging the sacred blood of the great Khamenei and the oppressed martyrs of Iran remains open.’ He added that ‘the perpetrators and those who ordered this crime will face a fitting punishment at the hands of the righteous elements, at the right time – which will not be long.’