Dense crowds thronged central Tehran on Monday for the funeral procession of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with mourners chanting “Death to Trump.” The 86-year-old cleric was killed alongside his family in a February 28 U.S.-Israeli airstrike that opened the current war. President Donald Trump had said that there will either be a deal with Iran or the U.S. will “finish the job.”

The flag-draped coffins were borne on a truck decked out to resemble the ornamental grating of a shrine. Revolutionary Guard General Hasan Hasanzsdeh, who is overseeing the procession, said the coffins would be taken over a 12-hour journey to Mehrabad International Airport. The massive turnout, encouraged by Iran’s theocracy as a sign of strength, comes as it negotiates with the U.S. over a permanent end to the war.

The airstrike that killed Khamenei and his family was at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States. Mourners called for the death of President Trump, underscoring popular fury at the United States.

The statement from Trump injected fresh urgency into the talks and intensified an atmosphere of siege in the capital.

For the Global South, Iran’s ordeal has become a stark illustration of non-Western vulnerability to unilateral Western military action. The conflict has roiled energy markets and deepened scepticism about multilateral safeguards, with many governments watching Tehran’s fate as a warning that strategic autonomy can carry a devastating price.