Iran began official funeral ceremonies on Saturday morning for 60 military commanders and nuclear scientists killed during the 12-day war with Israel, according to Iranian state media.

State television aired footage showing large crowds gathered in Tehran, waving Iranian flags and holding portraits of slain military officials. Coffins draped in the Iranian flag were carried through Enghelab (Revolution) Square, heading toward Azadi (Freedom) Square, a site symbolically tied to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Among the participants was Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marking his first public appearance since being injured in an Israeli airstrike. Iranian media reported conflicting accounts of the extent of his injuries.

The state funeral took place on the fourth day of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The somber ceremony came as U.S. President Donald Trump issued fresh warnings that the United States would resume strikes on Iran if it resumed enriching uranium for military purposes.

“I knew exactly where he was hiding, and I did not allow Israel or the United States military, the greatest and most powerful in the world, to take his life,” Trump said, referring to Khamenei.

He claimed to have personally spared Iran’s Supreme Leader from an “ugly and shameful death.”

Israeli Justification and International Reaction

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar defended the military campaign, writing Friday on X:

“Israel acted at the last minute in the face of an imminent threat to itself, the region, and the international community.”

Israel has claimed that the strikes were preemptive and aimed at thwarting nuclear threats. Iran, however, continues to deny any intention of developing a nuclear weapon, asserting that its nuclear program is strictly civilian in nature.

Tehran has also rejected renewed nuclear negotiations with Washington, following Trump's remarks at the NATO summit in The Hague.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Response

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned Trump’s statements as “insulting and unacceptable.”

“If President Trump truly desires to reach an agreement, he must put aside his insulting rhetoric toward the Supreme Leader and stop harming millions of his loyal supporters,” Araghchi posted on X.

He added,

“The great and powerful Iranian people do not accept threats and insults. Goodwill breeds goodwill, and respect breeds respect.”

As tensions remain high, analysts point to growing calls for diplomacy from Turkey and China, though Iran’s position suggests it will not reenter talks under pressure.