Iran holds funeral for Ali Khamenei: Attendees 'hardline factions' of society, specialist says

AI Summary

Hundreds of thousands gathered in Tehran for the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Observers noted that attendees were mainly hardline factions, not representative of broader public opinion about the regime.

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Saturday for the start of a dayslong funeral for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tara Kangarlou, a global affairs journalist and author of The Heartbeat of Iran, said most attendees were "more emboldened, hardline factions of the society," making the crowd unrepresentative of broader public attitudes toward the regime.