Tehran venue opens to public ahead of Khamenei funeral

Iranian lawmaker Morteza Mahmoudi said on Friday a “suspicious” campaign emerged on social media since Thursday to discourage people from attending the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader by warning of large crowds.

"Since yesterday in cyberspace, a suspicious narrative emerged to prevent people from attending the funeral ceremony of Leader under the pretext of crowd congestion, which has quickly spread!" he posted on X.

"But the passionate and prudent presence of people from across the country at this historic ceremony will humiliate and expose the foreign enemies and their domestic mercenaries."

Iranian lawmaker Kamran Ghazanfari said on Friday that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf ignored three specific instructions from Iran’s Supreme Leader to keep nuclear issues out of negotiations, speaking at a public gathering in a Tehran square.

“Supreme Leader Khamenei gave Ghalibaf three specific instructions not to enter negotiations over nuclear matters,” Ghazanfari said. “Those instructions were given on April 4, April 18 and in early May. Yet Ghalibaf claims that he follows and obeys the Supreme Leader, but his actions were inconsistent with that.”

Mahdi Mohammadi, an advisor to the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said in a post on X on the day of Supreme Leader’s funeral that supporters would devote themselves to preparing for “revenge” following his death.

"Without doubt, from this day forth in all our lives, we shall have no task but to prepare for the moment of your great vengeance. For that hour when we shall descend upon your killers and avenge your loss. No nation shall rest until that hour when the grim memory of that dark morning is erased. Your soldiers are in need of your prayers," Mohammadi said.

Iranian activist Sepideh Qoliyan said on Friday she is “desperate” and unable to get attention for the condition of detainees linked to the January unrest in Mashhad, saying she faces silence from domestic media and risk of arrest if she speaks to foreign outlets, according to a post on X.

"I'm truly at my wits' end with what's happening to these kids. What they're doing to them is a blatant violation of human rights. I don't know what else to do anymore? Their situation is incredibly critical. We're so drowned in our own troubles that we even forget about our prisoners sometimes," she said.

"I'm really at a total loss. The conditions for the Didehban prisoners are really bad; getting them transferred has become almost impossible," Qoliyan added.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, attended the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran on Friday and offered condolences.

“On behalf of the leadership and people of Russia, I extend our deepest condolences over the martyrdom of Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. We mourn this immeasurable loss alongside the Iranian people,” he posted on X, adding a video of his meetings with Iranian officials.