Hundreds of thousands mourn Soleimani at funeral in Tehran

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians filled the streets of Tehran on Monday, with some chanting “death to America” as they passed the coffins of military leaders killed in a U.S. strike last week, Reuters reports.

The coffins of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian commander, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both of whom were killed in last week’s strike at Baghdad Airport, were reportedly passed in the crowd.

State media reported the crowd size as being in the millions, according to Reuters.

Aerial footage showed packed crowds on the streets in central Tehran, the newswire reports.

Many that filled the crowded streets shouted “down with the USA” and “death to the USA,” CNN reports.

President Trump ordered the strike that killed Soleimani last week, without briefing top congressional members. He and the administration have defended the move, claiming it makes the U.S. safer, but Democrats have been critical, warning that the move brings the U.S. closer to a war with Iran. 

Following the Trump administration’s attack, Iran rolled back its commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump had withdrawn the U.S. from the deal in 2018. Also in the aftermath of the attack, Iraq’s Parliament voted to expel the U.S. military from the country.

Trump has warned it will hit Iran harder if the nation retaliates against Americans or American bases, threatening to target Iranian cultural sites if they escalate the conflict.  

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday said that the House would be voting on a resolution this week that would limit Trump’s military actions toward Iran.

–Updated at 8:20 a.m.