A portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike, hangs at the Iranian Embassy in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on March 5. [Joint press corps/Yonhap]
A portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike, hangs at the Iranian Embassy in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on March 5. [Joint press corps/Yonhap]

Iran's military issued a stern warning to the United States and Israel on Thursday, urging them not to attack the country ahead of the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.

According to Iranian state media, Ali Abdollahi, commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters — the unified command of Iran's armed forces — said in a statement that "we warn Iran's enemies, particularly the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation." He added that they "must clearly see the harsh retaliation our forces will inflict for any threat or aggression against our country."

Khamenei, killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28 — the day the war broke out — will be honored in a funeral beginning Saturday in the capital Tehran, concluding with a burial ceremony in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9. Memorial events will also be held in the Iranian holy city of Qom and in Iraq during the same period.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a similar warning the previous day. Referencing remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Katz that Iran's current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei had been targeted, Araghchi said: "POTUS promised to muzzle the Tel Aviv lapdog. If they ignore their master, Iran will personally teach them a lesson."


keg@heraldcorp.com