Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said today that revenge for his assassinated predecessor - his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - is a “demand of the nation“ and “must” to take place, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Khamenei posted the message on Telegram on the occasion of funeral ceremonies for his father, which took place months after he was killed on February 28, the first day of the war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
“We swear to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars of the criminal and disgraced murderers“, Mojtaba Khamenei said in the statement.
More than 43 million people participated in mourning ceremonies for the funeral of Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian state media reported.
Tens of millions of Iranians and pilgrims from around the world turned the funeral ceremonies for Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei into the largest procession ever seen the world has ever seen, noted Iran's pro-government Press TV.
The six-day farewell and funeral ceremonies for the supreme leader were held in five cities - Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala and Mashhad - and drew huge crowds that surpassed all previous records, Fars news agency reported.
The ceremonies included three days in Tehran - two days of public mourning in the Grand Mosque and one of the main funeral procession, with a full day of tribute in each of the other cities. Many mourners traveled between cities, increasing the scale of the turnout and creating a continuous wave of pilgrims.
Official estimates, based on multiple independent on-site and government sources, confirm that between 41 and 43 million people took part in the historic event.
The Supreme Leader and members of his family were killed in an airstrike on February 28 by the US and the Zionist regime (Israel - ed.) on the leader's residence, "Press TV" noted.
Among the dead were the wife of the new leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son-in-law, one of the late leader's daughters, and his 14-month-old granddaughter.
The funeral ceremonies began last Friday with the participation of political representatives from over 45 countries and scholars from more than 90 countries.
Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was buried yesterday in his hometown of Mashhad.
Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared in public since he was named Iran's new supreme leader in March. This has fueled speculation about his health.
As supreme leader, Ali Khamenei had the final say on all key issues in the Islamic Republic. At the same time, the Shiite ayatollah was also the highest religious authority in the country.
His supporters venerate him as a martyr who they say died while opposing a militarily much more powerful adversary. At the same time, much of Iran's approximately 86 million population is likely to be indifferent to or opposed to state mourning, DPA reports.