Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Friday warned against any attempts to target the country in the coming days ahead of the funeral of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The Revolutionary Guards warned that “any miscalculation will be met with a more decisive and overwhelming response than ever before and will be forever recorded in its shameful history.”
This comes after Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said in comments reported by Israeli news agency Ynet on Monday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was “sentenced to death.”
The Islamic Republic is on alert for a possible attack targeting the funeral, which is expected to be attended by millions of Iranians and several foreign dignitaries.
Any attack could kill thousands as crowds gather for funerals, while Iranian officials appearing in public are at risk of further assassinations.
A Reuters video on Friday showed security personnel patrolling the streets of Tehran ahead of the funeral procession. Iran also announced a complete closure of its airspace over Tehran on Monday.
“They’re looking at threats from the air and the ground,” Danny Sitrinowitz, former head of the Iranian branch of Israel’s military intelligence agency, told CNN, adding that the Iranians “don’t want to take any risks” and are “securing everything very closely.”
Questions remain as to whether the funeral will be Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public appearance since his father and family were killed on the first day of the war.
The only external threats Iran faces are the United States and Israel. The country is also home to ethnic minorities that have clashed with regime forces in the past, including Kurdish militants and Arab and Baloch separatists.
Iran may also be wary of attacks by the exiled Mujahadeen Khalq (MeK), which it has accused of carrying out attacks inside Iran for decades.
Citrinowicz said several officials were in attendance, including IRGC chief Brigadier General John Johnson. But General Ahmad Vahidi may be suggesting he is confident in his security measures despite knowing the risks.
