Iran says funeral turnout shows ‘unity’ after Israeli strikes

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told a major lie and will face consequences for it, Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad said on Saturday.

Nikzad said Grossi had “disgraced himself” and betrayed his position as a neutral international official. “He lied in his role at the IAEA and will certainly pay the price,” he said.

Nikzad also condemned US President Donald Trump, calling him “reckless,” and said both the United States and Israel miscalculated Iran’s capabilities. “They failed to recognize the Iranian people, our defensive strength, and the leadership of the Supreme Leader,” he said.

He described the military confrontation as a “mistaken war” launched by Washington and Tel Aviv, which ended in what he called a “painful blow” to the attackers.

He added that the Iranian people’s turnout at the funerals sent a clear message of resilience. “The world should know that any imposed war on Iran will bring disgrace and humiliation to the arrogant powers and the Zionist regime,” he said.

Iran is fully prepared to respond to any renewed Israeli aggression with a far stronger blow than before, former head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization Hossein Taeb said on Saturday.

“If the Zionist regime dares to repeat its aggression, it will receive a crushing response that will remain in the enemy’s memory for decades,” Taeb said, speaking to ISNA during the funeral for those killed in Israeli attacks.

He said Israel was compelled to request a ceasefire through a neighboring country, which he described as further proof of "its strategic failure".

“The Iranian armed forces are on full alert,” Taeb said. “Every possible scenario has been anticipated and planned for.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and agency inspectors have no legal right to enter Iran under current parliamentary law, Iranian lawmaker Hamid Rasaei said on Saturday.

Speaking to SNNTV, Rasaei said Iran’s parliament has passed legislation barring such visits in response to what he called the agency’s failure to condemn attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and scientists. “The regime that attacked our facilities isn’t even part of the NPT, and yet the IAEA remained silent,” he said.

Rasaei added that Iran has the right to restrict IAEA surveillance under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and confirmed that the agency’s cameras in Iran “no longer operate.”

He said Iran’s scientific progress would not stop, despite the assassination of its scientists. “This revolution is not dependent on individuals, and the Supreme Leader is never alone,” Rasaei said.

Iran’s judiciary on Friday confirmed the death of Ali Qena’atkar Mavardiani, deputy prosecutor of Tehran and head of Evin Prison’s public and revolutionary court, in an Israeli missile strike on Evin prison.

Qena’atkar was killed on Monday when projectiles hit the facility in northern Tehran, judiciary officials said. The attack resulted in multiple casualties among prison staff, judiciary employees, and civilians visiting inmates, according to official statements.

Qena’atkar headed the District 33 court, which oversees Evin prison, the judiciary said.

Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei issued a public condolence message, calling Qena’atkar a “principled and courageous legal official” who died defending public security.

Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, appeared in public on Saturday for the first time since being wounded in an Israeli strike earlier this month, Iranian media reported.

Photos showed Shamkhani attending the funeral of senior Iranian commanders killed in recent fighting with Israel. He had been targeted on the first night of Israeli attacks, and initial reports said he had been killed. State-linked outlets later said he was wounded but survived.