Officials and Scientists Remembered in Mass Funeral After Recent Strikes

The officials and scientists honored during the ceremony represented the powerful intersecting threads of Iran’s military, intelligence, and scientific establishments. Among the dead were figures who had played key roles in advancing Iran’s missile programs and nuclear research, making them symbolic figures in the nation’s broader quest for technological self-sufficiency and strategic deterrence. Their deaths, brought about by what Iran has described as brazen acts of state terrorism, were painted in official speeches as sacrifices made in the defense of the Iranian homeland against foreign aggression.