Thousands of mourners gathered near Tehran University on Wednesday to attend a mass funeral for members of Iran’s security forces killed during weeks of violent unrest, according to state media.
Crowds carrying Iranian flags and portraits of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei filled the streets as coffins draped in national flags were transported on trucks and adorned with flowers and photographs of the dead. Mourners chanted slogans and beat their chests as clerics delivered eulogies from a stage.
Iranian state media have reported that more than 100 members of the security forces have been killed since protests erupted more than two weeks ago, while officials have blamed the violence on what they describe as “armed and terrorist groups”.
Human rights organisations and opposition activists, however, say the overall death toll from the unrest is far higher and includes thousands of protesters.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of encouraging political destabilisation and inciting violence in Iran, according to a letter sent to the U.N. Security Council.
The funeral comes as Iran’s nationwide internet shutdown has entered its sixth day, with only intermittent restoration of international phone services, further complicating efforts to assess the scale of the unrest.
