Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jun 28: Iran is preparing for what officials are calling a "historic" state funeral in Tehran on Saturday to honour 60 individuals — including top military commanders and leading nuclear scientists — who lost their lives in the recent 12-day conflict with Israel.
The solemn ceremonies will commence at 8:00 A.M. local time at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in the heart of the capital. A large funeral procession will then move towards Azadi Square, about 11 kilometres away, where further tributes will be held.
Among the key figures being laid to rest is General Mohammad Bagheri, a senior leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the second-highest-ranking military official in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports confirm that Bagheri will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, who also perished during the conflict.
Nuclear physicist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi is another prominent figure to be honoured. He will be interred with his wife, as Iran mourns the loss of some of its most significant scientific minds.
According to state sources, the funeral will also commemorate four women and four children — a stark reminder of the broader human tragedy the conflict has inflicted.
Hostilities erupted on June 13, following a barrage of Israeli airstrikes that targeted high-level Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. Israel claimed the offensive was necessary to halt what it described as Iran’s aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The Israeli strikes killed over 30 senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guards, including IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami and Aerospace Forces head Amirali Hajizadeh. Iran’s Health Ministry has reported a devastating toll: at least 627 fatalities and nearly 4,900 injuries.
Saturday’s funeral is expected to draw tens of thousands of mourners and will be attended by the country’s top political, military, and religious leadership. State media has described the event as one of the most significant public commemorations in recent decades.
Security in Tehran has been heightened in anticipation of the crowds, with authorities describing the occasion as a powerful symbol of national unity and resilience in the face of external aggression.