Iranians rally nationwide to honour late leader Ali Khamenei

Thousands of Iranian citizens gathered in mass demonstrations across major cities nationwide on Thursday to honor the memory of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whose assassination last week is being framed by the Iranian government as the catalyst for a subsequent military attack by the United States and Israel. The rallies, organized by the state, were presented as a show of national unity and defiance against what Tehran describes as foreign aggression. The state-sponsored gatherings, broadcast extensively on Iranian state television, featured large crowds in Tehran's Azadi Square, as well as in cities like Mashhad, Isfahan, and Shiraz. Participants carried portraits of Khamenei and chanted slogans condemning the U.S. and Israel, whom Iranian authorities have directly blamed for both the leader's killing and the military strikes that followed. The government narrative tightly links the assassination to the opening salvo of a broader conflict, using the memorials to bolster domestic support and project resilience. This public mobilization occurs amid a highly tense regional climate and significant internal scrutiny of Iran's leadership transition. The ceremonies served a dual purpose: paying homage to the deceased leader while also reinforcing the official stance that the nation is under direct assault from external enemies. The coordinated nature of the rallies underscores the government's effort to control the narrative surrounding Khamenei's death and the ensuing crisis, presenting a unified front to both the domestic population and the international community.