TEHRAN — Calls for revenge and vows of continued resistance dominated a ceremony in Tehran marking 40 days since the dastardly U.S.-Israeli assassination of Imam Khamenei, with mourners gathering at the capital’s Grand Mosalla to commemorate the former Leader of the Islamic Revolution and reaffirm the principles of resistance, national unity and defense of Iran.

The ceremony brought together senior Iranian officials, members of the martyred Leader’s family and massive crowds of mourners.

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President Masoud Pezeshkian, First Vice President Muhammad Reza Aref, Parliament Speaker Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hussein Mohseni Ejei were among those attending.

The strongest political message of the gathering came through repeated calls for retaliation.

Mourners chanted “Our word is one: revenge, revenge” and “Our pledge to the Imam: revenge, revenge.” The ceremony concluded with the slogan “O people, O the elite! Hayya alal-qisas”, a call invoking retribution.

Other chants included “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and “Hayhat min al-dhilla,” expressing a rejection of submission and emphasizing the principles of resistance that have been central to Iran’s political discourse.

Participants carried Iranian flags, red flags bearing slogans including “Ya letharat al-Hussein” and “Ya letharat al-Khamenei,” as well as photographs of Imam Khamenei. The red flags and chants gave the ceremony a distinctly political character alongside its religious and commemorative dimensions.

The gathering marked not simply as an occasion for mourning but as a reaffirmation of commitments associated with Imam Khamenei’s years in leadership. Speakers emphasized national unity, resistance, service to the Iranian people and the continuation of the path of the martyred Leader.

Hojatoleslam Haj Ali Akbari, head of Iran’s Policy Council of Friday Prayer Leaders, told the ceremony that Imam Khamenei’s martyrdom represented the culmination of decades of religious and political struggle. He described his martyrdom as a moment that has strengthened the spirit of resistance within Iranian society.

Akbari also portrayed Imam Khamenei’s legacy through the themes of steadfastness, resistance and collective responsibility, telling mourners that his martyrdom should be understood as a continuation rather than an end to the struggle.

The ceremony took place against the backdrop of intense regional tensions and was therefore closely associated with demands for a response to Imam Khamenei’s martyrdom.

The repeated references to revenge were among the most prominent features of the gathering, transforming the commemoration into a public expression of anger as well as grief.

For many participants, however, the ceremony also carried a message about continuity. Forty days after the funeral, mourners sought to demonstrate that the loss of a leader would not bring an end to the political and religious principles associated with him.

The presence of several generations among the mourners reinforced that message. Older participants carried photographs of Imam Khamenei alongside younger Iranians, symbolizing what organizers and speakers presented as the transmission of his legacy to a new generation.

The ceremony's emphasis on resistance also reflected a longstanding theme in Iran's political culture: maintaining national independence, rejecting external pressure and preserving unity in the face of the U.S.-Israeli war of terrorism against the Iranian nation.

As the ceremony ended, the crowds repeated their slogans and carried the Iranian flag and images of Imam Khamenei. The gathering presented his martyrdom not as the conclusion of a political era, but as a moment that requires renewed unity, resistance and action.