Ahmadinejad Back from the Dead at Khamenei’s Funeral

THE TELEGRAPH: Iran’s former president reported as killed at start of the war spotted among millions of mourners in Tehran

Screenshot from this Telegraph article. | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former president, was among the mourners at the funeral procession for slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei
Iran’s former president has appeared at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei despite having been reported killed at the start of the war.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of millions of mourners who poured into Tehran dressed in black on Monday to escort the slain supreme leader’s coffin through the capital.

The former hardline president, who governed from 2005 to 2013, was declared dead by several Iranian state-affiliated media outlets on the opening day of the war, when Israeli and US strikes killed Khamenei and much of the country’s leadership.

It was thought he had been killed when a missile struck near his home.

He was never seen or heard from in the months that followed, and no official confirmation or denial of his fate was issued, leaving his status among the many uncertainties of the war’s chaotic first days.

On Monday, however, he was seen in public for the first time since the war, moving among the mourners in a jacket with a mask pulled down to his throat. » | Akhtar Makoli | Monday, July 6, 2026

Democracy Now! Report from Tehran: Millions Attend Ali Khamenei's Funeral amid Widespread Sense of Victory in War

July 7, 2026 | Millions of people are estimated to be participating in the multiday state funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Iran this week. After ruling the Islamic Republic of Iran for over three dozen years, Khamenei was killed by a joint Israeli-U.S. airstrike on February 28. N

ow viewed as a martyr by both his religious base and the wider Iranian public, Khamenei has taken on a "new identity" as "the leader of the resistance movement, the leader in the fight against U.S. imperialism," says Tehran-based journalist Reza Sayah, who has been reporting on the funeral proceedings.

Sayah also discusses the absence of Khamenei's son and chosen successor Mojtaba Khamenei from the public eye, the Iranian government's position on the thousands of protesters killed by security forces in the early months of 2026 and more.


Democracy Now! can be supported here.

Crowds Gather in Tehran for Ayatollah’s Funeral Procession

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Tens of thousands of Iranians have viewed the casket of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was exalted by some and despised by others. He was killed four months ago at the start of the U.S.-Israeli attacks.

Huge crowds were amassing in the Iranian capital, Tehran, for the third consecutive day on Monday to mourn Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, who ruled his country for decades with an iron fist before he was killed in the war with the United States and Israel.

The ayatollah’s body is expected to be carried through the city in a public procession. Later this week, it will be borne to several cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq that are significant to Shiite Muslims, before being buried in his hometown, Mashhad.

Grieving supporters of Iran’s Islamic Republic have wept and called for revenge as they viewed the casket of the killed leader since the funeral ceremonies began on Saturday. On Sunday, tens of thousands of mourners, including senior Iranian officials, packed Tehran for prayers for the slain supreme leader.

Though he was exalted by many, Ayatollah Khamenei was also despised by numerous other Iranians for presiding over an authoritarian state that brutally crushed dissent. Earlier this year, Iranian security forces suppressed mass antigovernment protests, killing thousands, according to Iranian officials and human rights groups.

For Iran’s current leaders, the mass funeral has served in part as a show of national unity around the deceased leader. But his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been conspicuously absent from the ceremonies.

Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since succeeding his father, who was killed when Israeli forces bombarded Ayatollah Khamenei’s compound on the first day of the war in late February. And his absence from the funeral ceremonies has emerged as a point of scrutiny for Iran’s leadership as they seek to project stability and continuity. Iran Live Updates » | Aaron Boxerman and Abdi Latif Dahir | Monday, July 6, 2026

Calls for Killing of Trump at Funeral of Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

THE GUARDIAN: New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei still absent from public view as his three brothers stand beside father’s coffin

Beside the coffin of the assassinated former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at a packed prayer hall in Tehran on Sunday there were calls for the killing of Donald Trump.

Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions ⁠for Khamenei, who was killed along with other members of his family on the first day of the US and Israeli war on 28 February. The funeral was delayed because of the war.

The funeral prayers for the former supreme leader and four other family members created a political spectacle at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla that melded grief with calls for revenge.

Many people had stayed in the mosque overnight or arrived well before dawn to be ready for the start of the prayer reading at 8am.

Holding Iranian flags and pictures of their martyred leader, and waving red flags symbolising vengeance the crowds were vastly larger and more militant than on Saturday, the first day of this elaborately conceived funeral designed to impress on the world that Iran has social resilience and determination to preserve its independence. » | Patrick Wintour in Tehran | Sunday, July 5, 2026

Inside Tehran as US Congress Votes to End Iran War

Jun 4, 2026 | Three months after Trump and Netanyahu attacked Iran, assassinating Ayatollah Khamenei and his top team, the government in Iran is more confident and hardline in its demands than ever. While America still claims a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is close, Iran’s leaders have dropped none of their demands. Tonight, we hear from Iranians about what they want.

Tehran: Heavy Bombing Overnight

Watch here.

Target Tehran: Civilians under Fire - BBC World Service Documentaries

For the last month, Iran’s capital Tehran has been under attack. Thousands of bombs have been deployed on the city, targeting military installations, police stations, oil depots and sites used by the Basij militia. With rare access inside the city and using satellite maps, social media content and interviews, BBCEye investigates what is being targeted and talks to civilians caught in the crossfire.

‘Nothing Will Remain of Tehran,’ Iranians Say Amid Heavy Bombing

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Some residents described the strikes overnight Monday into Tuesday as among the worst they had experienced since the war started.

When the U.S.-Israeli bombing began overnight in Tehran, some residents in the city of nearly 10 million described the strikes as among the worst they had experienced since the war began. And that was before the U.S. defense secretary vowed things would get even worse on Tuesday.

The bombings — which Iranians said hit civilian targets as well military ones — spread terror overnight Monday into Tuesday and made the air unbreathable, said a resident named Javad.

“It seems they are striking everywhere: homes, schools, mosques, hospitals,” said Javad, who like most people who spoke from inside Iran, asked that his full name be withheld for fear of retaliation. From 10 p.m. to past midnight, people in Tehran, the Iranian capital, could hear the sound of bombing “north, south, east and west,” he said.

“If they keep hitting Tehran like this for another 10 days,” he added, “nothing will remain of Tehran.” » | Leily Nikounazar and Erika Solomon | Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Trump Demands Unconditional Surrender from Iran as Intense Bombing in Tehran and Beirut Continue

Mar 6, 2026 | There's been intense bombing in both the Iranian and Lebanese capitals and promises from the governments in Israel and Washington that even more devastating firepower is on the way.

Trump is in his usual playbook of maximalist demands - insisting on total surrender.

But Iran's targeting of the Gulf is also taking a dramatic toll - with Qatar warning of having to halt energy exports and surging oil and gas prices that could cause a global economic crisis.

UK Closes Iran Embassy and Withdraws Staff: ‘A Wise Precaution’

Feb 27, 2026 | “The British embassy in Tehran which, as I know from my personal experience there, is a lightning rod for popular anger against the United States.”

UK and US staff being withdrawn from the British embassy in Iran is “clearly a precaution” says former British ambassador to Iran Sir Richard Dalton.

BBC Reports from Iran on Ceasefire Deal with Israel | BBC News

Jun 25, 2025 | The BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet reports from Iran's capital city, Tehran during what appears to be an enduring ceasefire with Israel.

The pause follows a volatile 24 hours in the Middle East, during which the White House mediated between the two countries.

Lyse Doucet is being allowed to report in Iran on condition that none of her reports are used on the BBC's Persian service.

This law from Iranian authorities applies to all international media agencies operating in Iran.

Protests in Tehran after US Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites | BBC News

Jun 22, 2025 | Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian joined protests in Tehran on Sunday, as people demonstrated against US strikes which targeted three of Iran's nuclear facilities.

US President Donald Trump said the Isfahan, Natanz and Fordo facilities were "obliterated" in the strikes on Sunday and told Iran's leaders that they now had a choice of "peace or tragedy".

Iranian officials have confirmed the facilities were struck but denied it had suffered a major blow.

Iran's ambassador to the UN accused the US of "waging war" under an "absurd pretext".

Meanwhile, Israel continues to strike Iran, saying it's hitting military targets.

Iranians Describe Fear and Sadness over Trump Evacuation Warning

BBC: Many Iranians have reacted with fear and dismay at Donald Trump's instruction to "immediately evacuate Tehran".

The capital's almost 10 million residents have now been left to decide whether to shelter in their homes - bracing themselves for what could come next - or attempt to join the heavy traffic leaving the country's capital.

President Trump made his comments just moments before cutting short his trip to the G7 in Canada, leaving many wondering if this could mean a further escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran was imminent.

Many of those deciding to leave Tehran are posting images of their homes online, a poignant trend in Persian-language social media for those leaving their city behind. » | Azadeh Moshiri and Taraneh Fathalian | BBC Pakistan correspondent and BBC Persian | Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Islamic Iran: The Story of an Ascent | Full Documentary in English

Jun 10, 2024 | The publication of a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad was considered insulting in the Muslim world. In Tehran, the police are overwhelmed. Ultra-conservative young people gather in the streets and attack embassies. The beginning of a long Islamic revolution is marked...

Wieso das Islamische Zentrum Hamburg verboten wurde und welche Folgen das hat

Jul 24, 2024 | Das Bundesinnenministerium hat den schiitischen Moschee-Verein Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg verboten. Ein Vorwurf: Terrorismusunterstützung. Nach dem Vorgehen gegen den Verein, der die „Blaue Moschee” betreibt, hat die Regierung in Teheran den deutschen Botschafter einbestellt. In Deutschland hingegen gab es positive Reaktionen, viele sehen den Schritt als längst überfällig.

Related article in English here.

Iran Inflation: President Ebrahim Raisi Plans to Revive Economy

Jul 22, 2023 | Pressure is growing on the Iranian government to bring down rising prices. President Ebrahim Raisi has pledged to revive the economy, but people are increasingly falling into poverty. Crippling US sanctions are viewed as the major driver of Iran's skyrocketing food prices. Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu reports from Tehran, Iran.

Iran's MPs Don Uniform of Revolutionary Guard in Protest at US

THE GUARDIAN: Tehran responds fiercely to US’s reclassification of its military wing as a terrorist organisation

Politicians in Iran wore Revolutionary Guard uniforms in parliament on Tuesday in protest at the US decision to classify the nation’s military wing as a foreign terrorist organisation.

There were chants of “Death to America” as the president, Hassan Rouhani, declared the guard was “dearer than ever in the hearts of the Iranian nation” and announced countermeasures against the US.

Donald Trump’s move on Monday marked the first time Washington has declared another nation’s military wing a terrorist organisation – in the same category as non-state groups such as Isis or al-Qaida.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, met members of the Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday, telling them: “Americans imagine they are designing and making trouble against the guard – in fact against the revolution and Iran – but their evil designs will not harm [the force]”. » | Bethan McKernan and agencies | Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Iran's Leader to Europe: Fulfil Demands or Nuclear Deal Is Dead | Al Jazeera English

Iran's supreme leader has set out conditions for Tehran to stay in its nuclear deal with world powers, including steps by to be taken by European banks to safeguard trade with Tehran after the US withdrawal from the deal.

European powers must continue buying crude oil, protect Iranian oil sales from US pressure and promise to not seek new negotiations on Iran's ballistic missile programme and Middle East activities, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's official website said on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi reports from Tehran.

'The Saudis Are Going to Fight Tehran to the Last Dead American'

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Putin in Tehran Speaks of Cooperation on Syria and Nuclear Deal

Vladimir Putin met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a one-day visit to Tehran.

Iran's supreme leader has told Russia's president they must step up cooperation to isolate the US and help stabilise the Middle East.

Moscow has stood by Tehran after US President Donald Trump threatened to abandon the Iran nuclear deal.

Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi reports from Tehran.