During massive funeral ceremony for Ali Khamenei, Iran announces it is pursuing legal action against Israel and the US over the assassination of its supreme leader.
By World Israel News Staff
Iran said Sunday it has begun preparing a legal case against Israel and the United States over the assassination of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, as the country held the second day of public funeral ceremonies for the late leader amid calls for revenge and warnings against further strikes.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told reporters that Iranian authorities were collecting evidence for a formal complaint over Khamenei’s killing, which Tehran says was carried out in a joint US-Israeli operation during the war earlier this year.
“The process of filing a complaint after collecting evidence and documentation has begun and is being followed up,” Mohajerani said, according to Mizan, the mouthpiece of the Iranian judiciary.
She did not specify where Iran intends to file the case or what legal forum it would use.
Iranian officials have previously accused Israel and the United States of violating international law through targeted killings of Iranian political and military leaders, but both countries have defended their wartime actions as necessary to counter Iran’s regional and nuclear threats.
Khamenei was killed in a February 28 airstrike that marked the opening phase of the latest war involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
His funeral, delayed by continuing hostilities and security fears, began this weekend in Tehran and is expected to continue through several cities before burial in Mashhad.
Tens of thousands of mourners gathered at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla prayer complex, where Khamenei’s coffin and those of several relatives were displayed under heavy security.
Reuters reported that chants of “Death to America” were heard at the ceremony, while other reports said mourners called for retaliation against both Washington and Jerusalem.
Iranian officials have warned the United States and Israel not to target the funeral ceremonies. Reuters reported last week that senior Iranian military commander Ali Abdollahi said any miscalculation during the funeral period would bring severe retaliation from Iran’s armed forces.
The warning followed comments by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “marked for death.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by saying any threat to Iran’s leadership would be met immediately.
“POTUS has committed the U.S. to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them,” Araghchi wrote on X.
The legal threat comes as Iran is using Khamenei’s funeral to rally domestic support and increase pressure on Washington during a fragile ceasefire.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran have been strained by disputes over maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief, Iran’s nuclear program and the future of Tehran’s regional military posture.
