Sure thing, here goes my attempt at… whatever this is:
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So I stumbled upon this funeral thing in Iran over the weekend. It was for these big brass military folks and science-y guys who got taken out by Israeli air strikes. Anyone else catch this? It’s like, bam, in-your-face resistance to the US and Israel, right?
People — like, a ton of them, seriously — hit the streets in Tehran, totally defiant and all. They’re saying, “We’re not backing down!” I mean, probably not in those exact words, but you get the vibe. And they’re mourning these fallen folks, about 60 of them, from military brains to nuclear scientists. Yeah, even women and kids. It’s heavy.
So there’s this whole parade kinda deal, starting from Enghelab Square. You’ve got these caskets on vehicles, and it’s a whole show with banners and those huge photos — like a giant collage of sadness and anger. Oh, and the government was like, “Hey, let’s make it a public holiday.” They’re chanting, stomping on flags — the whole nine yards.
Then they head to Tehran’s big cemetery and these holy spots to bury some of them. Others go back to their hometowns. It’s all so ceremonial but raw, you know? Like, real emotion you can almost touch.
Iran’s head honchos were there too. President Masoud Pezeshkian, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, and Esmail Ghaani of the Quds Forces fame. Ali Shamkhani was a sight himself, with a stick to lean on after getting hit in the attacks. Hardcore image, right?
But, here’s the twist — Ayatollah Khamenei skips out on this one. I mean, he’s traditionally the guy who shows up, with all the rituals and everything. He’s done it for folks like Qasem Soleimani and even former president Ebrahim Raisi. But not this time. Instead, he’s communicating via screen, video messages, the whole digital guru act.
Okay, random side note — Khamenei says they somehow “won” against Israel and the US? Yeah, I don’t follow either, but that’s the narrative. Trump’s doing his own dance, claiming Iran’s nuclear setups got wiped out. Damage reports are all over — some say Iran’s nukes got whacked hard, others say, “Nah, they bounced back.”
Trump’s ready to jump back in for another round if Iran keeps pushing its nuke stuff. Apparently, he’s also big on his anti-assassination achievements. Like, “Look, I stopped Israel from going after Khamenei.” Uh-huh, okay then.
Araghchi’s throwing shade back, telling Trump to chill with the disrespect — if ya wanna deal, don’t tick off Khamenei’s fans. Meanwhile, Iran’s shouting about “state terrorism.” Because, apparently, all this talk of hitting leaders is just not cool.
Oh, and the harshest number? The health ministry reckons 627 dead and nearly 4,900 injured from the strikes. Sobering. Anyway, not sure what’s next, but the tension’s thick — almost as sticky as this hot Tehran summer air.