Iranians mourn Soleimani
Funeral for Soleimani packs streets of Tehran
The funeral for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani drew a multitude in the Iranian capital of Tehran, filling thoroughfares and side streets as far as the eye could see.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept Monday over the casket of the general killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad. Soleimani’s successor, Esmail
Ghaani, stood near Khamenei’s side.
Authorities later brought the remains of Soleimani and others to Iran’s holy city of Qom, turning out another massive crowd.
Soleimani’s death has brought together people from across the country’s political spectrum, temporarily silencing the anger over government-set gasoline prices that ignited nationwide protests.
Soleimani’s daughter, Zeinab, directly threatened an attack on the U.S. military in the Mideast while also warning President Donald Trump, whom she called “crazy.”
“The families of the American soldiers ... will spend their days waiting for the death of their children,” she said to cheers.
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s supreme leader wept Monday over the casket of a top general killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, his prayers joining the wails of mourners who flooded the streets of Tehran demanding retaliation against America for a slaying that has drastically raised tensions across the Middle East.
The funeral for Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani drew a crowd said by police to be in the millions in the Iranian capital, filling thoroughfares and side streets as far as the eye could see. Although there was no independent estimate, aerial footage and Associated Press journalists suggested a turnout of at least 1 million.
Authorities later brought his remains and others to Iran’s holy city of Qom, turning out another massive crowd.
It was an unprecedented honor for a man viewed by Iranians as a national hero for his work leading the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force. The U.S. blames him for the killing of American troops in Iraq and accused him of plotting new attacks just before his death Friday. Soleimani also led forces in Syria backing President Bashar Assad.
His death led Tehran to abandon the remaining limits of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers as his successor and others vow to take revenge. In Baghdad, the parliament has called for the expulsion of all American troops from Iraqi soil, something analysts fear could allow Islamic State militants to mount a comeback.
Soleimani’s daughter, Zeinab, directly threatened an attack on the U.S. military in the Mideast while also warning President Donald Trump, whom she called “crazy.”
“The families of the American soldiers ... will spend their days waiting for the death of their children,” she said to cheers.
Her language mirrored warnings by other Iranian officials who say an attack on U.S. military interests in the Middle East looms. Iranian state television and others online shared a video that showed Trump’s American flag tweet following Soleimani’s killing turn into a coffin, the “likes” of the tweet replaced by over 143,000 “killed.”
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed over the caskets of Soleimani and others at Tehran University after a brief mourning period at the capital’s famed Musalla mosque. The mosque was where prayers were said over the body of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, after his death in 1989.
Khamenei, who had a close relationship with Soleimani and referred to him as a “living martyr,” broke down four times in tears while offering traditional Muslim prayers for the dead.
“Oh God, you took their spirits out of their bodies as they were rolling in their blood for you and were martyred in your way,” Khamenei said as the crowd wailed. Soleimani was to be buried Tuesday in his hometown of Kerman.