Huge crowds, estimated by authorities to be in the millions, lined the streets for the funeral procession of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday as the coffins of the late leader and four of his family members were carried through the capital on a large truck.
Footage shared by Iranian media from helicopters showed people stretching for kilometres from Tehran’s Azadi, or Freedom, Square along the wide boulevard bearing the same name.
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Among the vast crowd, many people were seen carrying red flags, which captured attention both inside and outside Iran.
What do the red flags signify?
Simply put, these red flags are commonly linked to martyrdom and are also regarded as a symbol of revenge in Shia Islam, according to several media reports.
The banners carry the Arabic words “Ya Litharat al Hussein” (“O avengers of Hussein”), a phrase deeply connected to Shia tradition and the concept of martyrdom, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.
The flag refers to the seventh-century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed and one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam. He was killed during the Battle of Karbala, an event that established the divide between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Historically, the red flag is seen as a symbol that “innocent blood has been unjustly shed and that justice is still awaited”, as per the report.
Although it is most commonly displayed during Muharram mourning ceremonies, the banner also represents the pursuit of justice and, in certain situations, reflects a determination to take revenge against those held responsible, according to Tasnim.
While the flag is recognised as a religious symbol across the Shia Muslim world, the Iranian government has also used the “Ya Hussein” imagery to present modern conflicts through the historical symbolism of Karbala.
The red banner was also displayed after the killing of senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020 to symbolise martyrdom, resistance and, in the Iranian leadership’s messaging, retaliation. Images shared last week through Khamenei’s official X account also showed the flag draped over his casket.
In March this year, the red “flag of revenge” was also raised over the dome of the Jamkaran Mosque, a key religious site in Iran, after Khamenei was killed in United States-Israeli strikes. It was flown as a symbol of justice and revenge.
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‘Revenge’ and Trump’s death calls grow in Iran
Slogans calling for the deaths of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were heard through Tehran’s crowded Grand Mosalla as mourners attended Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies.
Similar scenes were witnessed again on Monday during the funeral procession. “We are here to show that his path will continue, and every single one of these people will continue down his path with clenched fists and soon we will certainly avenge his death against the US and Israel,” mourner Sahar Zaraatgar was quoted as saying by Associated Press.
People also gathered at Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hung an effigy of Trump, state media reported.
