ON TUESDAY morning, the Iranian capital geared up for a massive funeral honouring 84 slaughtered sailors of the IRIS Dena, as top officials declared that the cowardly assassination of these naval heroes will only make the foundation of the country’s armed forces ‘firmer for years’.
People assembled in Tehran’s main squares for the official ceremony, paying tribute to the 84 navy personnel who were killed aboard IRIS Dena on 4 March.
Millions more expressed their respect in dozens of other cities across Iran by holding parallel processions.
President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a message urging Iranians to attend the mass funeral for the IRIS Dena martyrs.
The farewell ceremony for the recovered victims of the American terrorist attack was held on Monday and Tuesday across 34 main squares and locations in Tehran.
These massive processions saw the presence of the families of the dead, high-ranking civil and military officials, armed forces commanders, and citizens from all walks of life paying their respects to the sacrifices of the Dena crew.
Ahead of the grand processions, Ali Larijani had released a handwritten note in which he emphasised that ‘the martyrdom of these naval heroes in the Dena proves the zealous nation’s sacrifices in this era of fighting international oppressors’.
‘Their memory will always remain in the heart of the Iranian nation, and these martyrdoms will make the foundation of the Islamic Republic’s Army firmer in the structure of the armed forces for years,’ Larijani wrote.
President Masoud Pezeshkian also issued a message inviting the great Iranian nation to participate gloriously alongside one another to lay these heroes to rest.
He noted that the brave and patient people of Iran are welcoming maritime youth who were echoing the call for peace in international waters, thousands of miles away from the area of the the imposed war when they were targeted by enemies.
‘The enemies of freedom and security martyred these honourable soldiers in a massive crime and a cowardly, blind attack, trampling on all international, moral, and human laws,’ Pezeshkian stated, adding that the perpetrators once again revealed their terrorist nature to the world.
‘Our deceitful enemies must know that in the shadow of the name of each of these high-ranking martyrs, thousands of other brave men will rise, and they will take the wish of the surrender of the children of the land of Iran to the grave,’ the president warned.
The IRIS Dena was brutally targeted on March 4 in international waters while returning from a multinational naval exercise in India, an event it had been officially invited to attend.
The vessel was struck by an MK-48 torpedo launched by a United States submarine approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka.
The maritime terrorist attack claimed the lives of 104 crew members; 32 sailors were rescued.
In the days before his assassination by the US-Israeli terror regime on Tuesday, Ali Larijani had publicly declared that victory over ‘delusional Donald Trump’ and the ‘remnants of the Epstein island network’ is near!
The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Dr Ali Larijani, was assassinated in the American-Israeli aggression early on Tuesday morning.
The SNSC Secretariat announced his death, alongside his son, Mortaza, the Secretariat’s deputy for security, Alireza Bayat, and a number of their bodyguards, on Tuesday night.
The statement described ‘martyrdom’ as Dr. Larijani’s ‘long-held dream’, which he attained following a lifelong struggle aimed at the advancement of the country and its Islamic Revolution.
It noted his sustained endeavour ‘up until the very final moments of his blessed life’ towards realisation of the nation’s supreme interests and his consistent advice for the people and their authorities to retain their unity in the face of the country’s adversaries.
The Supreme National Security Council stated on state TV that the assassination attack was around 3:30 on Tuesday morning Tehran time (00:00 GMT).
Ali Larijani was appointed by the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside Saeed Jalili, the former secretary to the National Security Council.
It is likely that Saeed Jalili will replace him for now, until Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran, appoints his representatives in the council.
Iranian state media has also circulated statements commemorating Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, also killed on Tuesday by Israel.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called Soleimani a ‘glorious general’ and said he had ‘achieved martyrdom in the battle against the most evil enemies of humanity’, along with his deputy and a few other soldiers.
In a separate statement, the media arm for the Basij said his death marked the ‘loss of an inspiring pillar and field leader who, for years, guided the path of movement of the various segments of the Basij with a strategic vision, a jihadi spirit, and a deep belief in the role of the people’.
The IRGC confirmed Soleimani was assassinated in an ‘American-Zionist’ attack after the Israeli army claimed to have killed him overnight on Monday.
Ali Larijani, ridiculed remarks by Donald Trump dismissing the massive anti-US and anti-Israel demonstrations across Iran in recent weeks as being generated by artificial intelligence, suggesting that the American president doesn’t want to see the reality of situation.
In a rebuke posted on social media, Larijani drew a historical parallel between Trump’s comments and those of the former prime minister of the deposed US-backed Pahlavi regime during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Larijani stated that 47 years ago, the ‘delusional’ Pahlavi official falsely claimed that the masses filling the streets were not real and that their voices were merely from tape recordings.
Larijani highlighted that today, millions of Iranians have once again taken to the streets in cities across the nation to voice their opposition to the United States and Israel.
He characterised Trump’s suggestion that these powerful scenes of popular support were AI-generated as a modern echo of that same historical delusion and denial of the Iranian people’s will.
Also this week, Larijani asserted that the ‘historic victory of Iran over the remnants of the Epstein Island network is near.’
Larijani told Islamic countries that the United States has proven it is not a reliable partner for them and that the Israeli regime is their enemy.
Larijani made the remarks on Monday in a six-point open letter addressed to neighbouring states home to the US bases, from which illegal strikes have been launched against Iran.
He said Iran faced a deceptive US-Zionist invasion aimed at disintegrating the country while Tehran was negotiating with Washington.
‘Do you know that except in rare cases in the political arena, none of the Islamic governments have come to the aid of the Iranian nation? However, the Iranian nation suppressed the wicked enemy with a strong will in a way that today the enemy does not know how to exit this strategic impasse,’ Larijani said.
He also noted that Iran will continue its path of resistance against the ‘big and little devils’, namely the United States and Israel, respectively.
He censured the Muslim governments for not acting in accordance with Prophet Mohammad’s teachings, which says if you do not respond to a Muslim’s cry in need, you are not a Muslim.
Additionally, he criticised the Muslim states for considering Iran an enemy because the Islamic Republic has targeted American bases, as well as the US and Israeli assets there.
‘Should Iran stand idly by so that it is attacked from US bases in your countries?! They (Muslim countries) are making excuses; On one side of today’s battle are the United States and Israel, and on the other side stand the Islamic Iran and the resistance forces. Which side are you on?’ Larijani asked.
He urged Muslim countries to think about the future of the Islamic world, saying: ‘You know that the US has no loyalty to you and Israel is your enemy. Think for a minute about yourself and the future of the region. Iran is your benevolent friend and does not intend to dominate you.’
Also this week, Larijani had warned of plots to stage a ‘false flag attack’ similar to the September 11 attacks and blame it on Iran, saying that while Iran is firmly punishing the aggressors, it fundamentally opposes such terrorist attacks.
‘I’ve heard that the remaining members of Epstein’s network have devised a conspiracy to create an incident similar to 9/11 and blame Iran for it,’ Ali Larijani wrote in a post on his X account on Sunday.
He also pointed out that the US has made a drone identical to Iran’s Shahed drone, which he said is being used to attack targets in Arab countries.
