Mourners waved Iranian flags and gathered around trucks carrying coffins draped with portraits of late security chief Ali Larijani, Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani and sailors killed when a U.S. torpedo struck an Iranian navy vessel off Sri Lanka, as Tehran held a funeral procession on Wednesday (March 18).

Crowds filled Enghelab Square in the Iranian capital, with mourners holding pictures of Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli strike.

Banners and flags lined the route as the truck carrying the coffins drove slowly through the mourners.

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani was killed by Israel, the government confirmed on Tuesday (March 17), the most senior figure targeted since the U.S.-Israeli war's first day, while a senior Iranian official said Iran's new supreme leader rejected de-escalation offers conveyed by intermediary countries.

Larijani was widely viewed as one of Iran's most powerful figures and a confidant of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son and successor, Mojtaba. The security chief had a reputation for pragmatic relations with other factions in the ruling system and foreign diplomats.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

FUNERAL PROCESSION UNDERWAY IN TEHRAN’S ENGHELAB SQUARE FOR SECURITY CHIEF, ALI LARIJANI, BASIJ COMMANDER, GHOLAMREZA SOLEIMANI, AND SAILORS WHO DIED ON THE IRANIAN NAVY VESSEL TORPEDOED BY THE U.S. OFF SRI LANKA

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: TEHRAN, IRAN (MARCH 18, 2026) (IRIB - No use Iran, BBC Persian. No use VOA Persian. No use Manoto. No use Iran International. No use Radio Farda)

1. MOURNERS GATHERED FOR FUNERAL, WAVING IRANIAN FLAGS

2. VARIOUS OF TRUCK CARRYING COFFINS OF SECURITY CHIEF, ALI LARIJANI, BASIJ COMMANDER, GHOLAMREZA SOLEIMANI, AND SAILORS WHO DIED ON THE IRANIAN NAVY VESSEL DRIVING THROUGH MOURNERS

3. MOURNERS HOLDING BANNERS AND FLAGS

4. TRUCK DRIVING

5. WOMAN HOLDING A PICTURE OF LATE IRANIAN SECURITY CHIEF, ALI LARIJANI KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKE

6. MOURNERS WAVING FLAGS

7. COFFINS WITH PICTURES OF DECEASED DRIVING IN TRUCK

8. MOURNERS GATHERED AROUND TRUCK CARRYING COFFINS