Iran ‘gave blood, not ground,’ foreign minister says at Tehran funeral

Iran held a funeral ceremony in Tehran on Saturday for dozens of people killed during the 12-day conflict with Israel, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Senior Iranian officials attended the event and delivered remarks touching on a range of themes, including national unity, military resilience, and nuclear oversight.

Read more here.

The spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned US President Donald Trump on Saturday to stop what he called “reckless rhetoric,” saying any future attack on Iran would be met with a more destructive response.

“Our advice to Trump is to open his eyes and stop the baseless talk and erratic behavior,” Ali Mohamad Naeini said during a funeral ceremony for those killed in the Israeli strikes, according to state media.

Naeini said Trump’s recent remarks reflected confusion after what he described as an Israeli defeat in the 12-day conflict with Iran. “He still does not understand the real sources of Iran’s power,” he said.

Quoting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Naeini added that Trump “speaks bigger than his mouth allows,” accusing him of trying to distort Iran’s claimed victory in the conflict.

The IRGC official said the missile and drone attacks launched by Iran had forced Israel to seek a ceasefire and demonstrated the vulnerability of Israeli cities. “If our interests are targeted again, the response will be more powerful and more devastating,” he said.

Senior Iranian officials attended the event and delivered remarks touching on a range of themes, including national unity, military resilience, and nuclear oversight.

State media said the ceremony was held for 60 individuals. Among them were at least 16 nuclear scientists and 10 senior military commanders.

Among those commemorated were Mohammad Bagheri, commander of the Iranian armed forces; Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guards; and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who led the Guards’ Aerospace Force. All three were killed on June 13, the first day of the conflict.

Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, attended the ceremony, appearing in public for the first time since being wounded in an Israeli strike earlier this month. 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.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was absent, though in a televised message earlier this week, he said that Israel had been “brought to its knees” and that the United States had “gained nothing” from the war.

Officials denounce IAEA and bar inspectors

Several officials used the occasion to deliver criticism of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said cooperation with the agency “cannot continue as before,” and accused it of passing information to "hostile states".

Lawmaker Hamid Rasaei said parliamentary legislation bars IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and his team from entering Iran, and that nuclear surveillance equipment had been deactivated. Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad called Grossi a liar and said he would face consequences for his role.

Remarks emphasize strength, resistance and imposed ceasefire

Other speakers focused on the war’s outcome. Several described the ceasefire as something forced on Israel and the US, not the result of any concession by Iran.

Parliamentarian Ebrahim Azizi said Iran had never surrendered and instead “forced its enemies to submit to the will of the Iranian people.” Former IRGC intelligence chief Hossein Taeb said Iran was prepared to deliver a stronger blow in the event of renewed hostilities.

Iran says it has arrested 700 Israeli agents since June 13, but no foreign-made weapons have appeared in official footage, according to an investigation by FRANCE 24.

"FRANCE 24 Observers team found no evidence of any Israeli-made weapons among the supposed seizures," wrote the website Friday.

Analysts say nearly all the arms shown are Iranian, Chinese, or Yugoslav. In one case, Iranian state media used a photo of Ukrainian drones—taken in May—to claim a seizure of Israeli drones in Hormozgan.

A separate report showed consumer drones in unopened packaging. Footage of six suspects in prison uniforms included supposed confessions of espionage, though FRANCE 24 found no verifiable link to Israeli hardware.

Iran has executed at least six men and accused several Afghan nationals of spying for Israel.

The report suggests Iran’s televised confessions and evidence may be staged, underscoring the intelligence failure exposed by the 12-day Israeli campaign.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the public funeral for those killed in Israeli and US strikes demonstrated national unity and resistance against an imposed war.

In a statement posted online, the ministry said Iranians had gathered “with strength and meaning” to bury those killed in the military campaign by Israel.

The ministry said the turnout sent “a clear message to the world” that Iranians would “turn threats into unity” and “war into a chance to advance national will.”

“This funeral was not just a farewell — it was a show of national strength,” the statement said, adding that Iran’s security is “not a gift from foreign powers” but a result of “a nation that continues its dignified path with firm steps.”