Iranians bid farewell to Dena sailors, martyrs Larijani and Soleimani

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran to participate in the funeral procession honoring the martyrdom of Iranian sailors and top officials, Ali Larijani and General Gholamreza Soleimani, assassinated during unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic.

Many attendees arrived ahead of the ceremony to pay their respects to the 84 Navy personnel martyred aboard IRIS Dena on March 4, as well as to Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Dr. Ali Larijani, and the head of the Basij forces, Major General Gholamreza Soleimani, who were assassinated in targeted strikes on Tuesday.

The funeral procession witnessed one of the largest public gatherings in recent weeks, with crowds filling the streets of Tehran from early Wednesday morning.

People were holding photos of the martyrs and banners calling for justice.

The event was attended by the families of the martyrs, government officials, and military leaders.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced the martyrdom of General Soleimani, and Dr. Larijani alongside his son, Mortaza Larijani.

The high-ranking Iranian officials were killed in coordinated targeted strikes by the US-Israeli forces.

Iran has denounced all strikes as cowardly acts, vowing to avenge them in the most decisive manner.

In retaliation, the IRGC launched massive overnight airstrikes targeting over 100 locations in Tel Aviv.

Iran's navy personnel were killed while they were on an official mission in international waters to participate in a naval exercise in India.

The ship was struck by a US Navy MK 48 torpedo from a submarine, approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka.

Reports indicate around 20 sailors remain unaccounted for, while 32 were rescued by Sri Lankan authorities.

The United States and Israel launched a large-scale, unprovoked war against Iran on February 28, assassinating Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and a number of senior commanders.

Subsequent terrorist strikes on civilian and military targets have killed hundreds of people, including more than 200 children.

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