Mourners chant ‘Pahlavi will return’ at protester's funeral

The father of Amir-Hessam Khodayarifard, a young protester killed in the city of Kuhdasht in Iran’s Lorestan province, said at his son’s funeral that Amir-Hessam was not a member of the Basij militia.

Speaking during the burial ceremony, he rejected any suggestion that his son was affiliated with pro-government forces.

Attendees at the funeral chanted slogans including “I will kill the one who killed my brother,” and “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return,” reflecting the anger and defiance surrounding the killing.

Ahmad Alamolhoda, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in Razavi Khorasan, alleged that footage and slogans from recent protests were fabricated using artificial intelligence.

Israeli media and what he described as “enemy-affiliated outlets” film crowds, he said, and then use AI technology to overlay anti-government chants onto the images.

The aim, he added, was to create the impression that Iranians have turned away from the Islamic Revolution and want the system to end.

His remarks come amid widespread protests across Iran, many of which have been documented by independent videos showing chants against the ruling system and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Mourners attending the funeral of Amirhossein Khodayari-Fard, a young man killed during protests in Kuhdasht, chanted slogans directly addressing government forces present at the ceremony.

According to reports from the scene, attendees shouted: “Basijis, Guards, you are the ISIS,” drawing a comparison between Iran’s security forces and extremist groups as tensions flared during the burial.

Iran’s top security official warned of regional consequences following remarks by US President Donald Trump, after Washington cautioned Tehran over the violent suppression of protests.

In a post on X, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused Trump of initiating what he described as “adventurism,” telling Americans to “watch over their soldiers.”

Comments by Trump and Israeli officials, Larijani said, had exposed what he called the “behind-the-scenes” dynamics.

US involvement would lead to “chaos across the entire region” and damage American interests, , Larijani said without addressing reports of protesters killed by security forces.

The funeral of Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, a protester killed during demonstrations in Isfahan's Fooladshahr, was held on Friday.

Ansari Bakhtiarvand was shot dead on Wednesday, December 31, during protests in the city. He was killed by direct gunfire from government forces during nighttime demonstrations.