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Iran to hold ‘historic’ funeral for top military leaders, nuclear scientist killed in war with Israel
General Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was among those killed in Israel strikes, which was launched on June 13.
Two weeks after a direct conflict with Israel, Iran will hold “historic” funeral proceedings in Tehran for top military commanders and nuclear scientists killed during the 12-day war with Israel.
The country will hold funeral proceedings for 60 people in the capital on Saturday. The commemorations will begin at 0800 local time at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran, news agency AFP reported.
The commemorations will be followed by a funeral procession to Azadi Square, about 11 kilometres away, the report said.
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"A brief ceremony will be held there, then the processions of the martyrs will go toward Azadi Square," Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran's Islamic Development Coordination Council, said in a televised interview.
He added that Saturday, June 28, would be "a historic day for Islamic Iran and the revolution."
General Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the second-in-command of the armed forces after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Israel strikes, which was launched on June 13.
Bagheri will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist for a local media outlet, the report said.
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Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was also killed in the attacks, will be buried with his wife. Four women and four children are among the 60 who will be honoured at the funeral ceremony.
627 killed in Iran since June 13
The conflict between Iran and Israel erupted on June 13 when Israel launched strikes that it said were aimed at halting Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Over 30 top commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, including its commander-in-chief Hossein Salami and the head of its aerospace forces, Amirali Hajizadeh, were killed in the strikes.
However, there is no confirmation whether Khamenei will attend the funeral on Saturday. The Iranian supreme leader has previously attended ceremonies for high-ranking Iranian authorities, including late president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last year.
Read More: Why are Iran and Israel fighting? Rivalry of regional foes explained
The Iranian health ministry has said that over 627 people have been killed and around 4,900 have been injured in the Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, 28 people have been killed in the Iranian strikes in Israel.
Iran's talks with US 'complicated' by American strike
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the possibility of new negotiations with the US on the nuclear program has been “complicated” by the American strikes.
In an interview on Iranian state television, Araghchi suggested that Tehran would again enter talks on the nuclear program, however, adding that it would not be anytime soon.
"No agreement has been made for resuming the negotiations. No time has been set, no promise has been made, and we haven't even talked about restarting the talks," he said.
