A massive funeral for victims of Israeli strikes became a turning point for Iran, which suspended cooperation with the IAEA, issued bold threats of retaliation, and reaffirmed its regional resolve.
A massive funeral procession was held Saturday in Tehran for victims of the latest Israeli assault on Iran, transforming the mourning into a powerful show of national defiance.
The event, attended by tens of thousands of Iranians and senior state officials, also marked a formal announcement of Iran’s full suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
High-ranking Iranian leaders used the occasion to issue strong warnings against further foreign aggression.
Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei vowed that the sacrifices of the martyrs would fuel Iran’s resistance and progress.
“The blood of our martyrs will hasten the realization of our national goals,” he said. “We do not surrender, and we will never trade our dignity.”
Today’s funeral in Tehran for the martyred commanders, nuclear scientists, and their family members.
Is this the "unpopular regime" that Zionists, neocons, and the regime in Washington want to overthrow?
They will be the ones overthrown, not the Islamic Republic of Iran. pic.twitter.com/LzyCq5sKeS
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) June 28, 2025
Ejei accused the IAEA of leaking classified information and undermining its own credibility. “It is no longer a trustworthy institution,” he declared, citing national security concerns as the reason behind Iran’s decision to halt all cooperation.
For his part, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni emphasized Iran’s readiness to respond to any future aggression.
“Our finger is on the trigger, ready to respond to any malicious move by the enemy,” he stated, while lauding the Iranian people’s unity and resolve in defending the country’s sovereignty.
IAEA Cooperation Fully Halted
Hamid Rasaei, a member of the Iranian Shura Council, confirmed the complete suspension of IAEA activities inside Iran.
“Inspectors and IAEA Director Rafael Grossi will not be allowed into the country, and surveillance cameras will be turned off,” he said, calling the agency “a tool of espionage for hostile powers.”
Hundreds of thousands gather in Tehran for a funeral procession mourning the victims of Israel's strikes on Iran. pic.twitter.com/P5ybmepxlm
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 28, 2025
Echoing that view, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said the IAEA’s biased reporting had directly contributed to Israeli aggression. “Iran has fully complied with the Non-Proliferation Treaty and opened its peaceful nuclear facilities,” he noted.
“But the agency abandoned its professional role and sided with global powers.” Cooperation, he added, will not resume unless Iran’s right to uranium enrichment is acknowledged and its nuclear sites are protected.
‘A Mighty Blow’
Mohsen Rezaei, member of the Expediency Discernment Council, argued that the recent escalation had strengthened Iran’s regional standing.
“The Iranian people have entered a new political era, rising toward greater influence,” he said. “We have delivered a mighty blow to the Zionist regime.”
Rezaei added that the country’s armed forces remain fully committed to the defense of the nation: “They will give their last drop of blood to protect the people.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also weighed in, emphasizing the high cost Iran had borne. “Iranians gave blood, not land; gave their loved ones, not honor,” he wrote on Instagram. “They withstood a thousand-ton rain of bombs, but did not surrender.”
The funeral procession, held in Tehran’s Revolution Square, drew a vast cross-section of Iranian society.
Among the participants were President Masoud Pezeshkian, Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and former presidential advisor Mohammad Javad Zarif. Delegations from Bahrain, Iraq, and other Arab countries also attended in a show of regional solidarity.
Also present was Ali Shamkhani, senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, who had been wrongly reported by Israel as assassinated early in the conflict.
War on Iran Backfires: Losses all around for Israel and Trump
Shamkhani survived the Israeli strike with injuries and appeared in public for the first time since.
Speaking on the sidelines of the funeral, MP Hamid Rasaei said that the loss of national leaders and scholars would not hinder the country’s development.
“Today’s million-strong turnout proves that the revolution in Iran belongs to all its people,” he said. “Our people are the backbone of this country. They do not fear threats, nor are they broken by enemy conspiracies.”
The conflict erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a series of coordinated strikes targeting Iranian military and civilian sites.
The United States soon escalated the assault by bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities—an act widely seen as a direct provocation.
Despite the scale of destruction, Iran mounted a forceful retaliation that prompted both Israel and the US to seek a ceasefire.
While Washington and Tel Aviv framed the outcome as a strategic success, Tehran dismissed their narrative, reaffirming its sovereignty and refusal to capitulate under pressure.
(PC, Al Mayadeen)
Now is the time: Iran, and Ansarallah ( the Houthis ), and other factions there should gang up on Wasrael and crush it. They’re weak, impotent, defeated. My US government proved incapable of defeating Ansarallah or Iran, so they won’t be a threat. The only option Israelica has is to use nukes. If they do, both nations would be placing their innocent citizens at risk of retaliation by proxies who would protect Iran and Yemen. This is called a Stalemate. Act now. The world needs to be freed of the ZioNazi threat.