The view from Tehran: Anger and vengeance in the air as Iran buries its longest-serving leader | CNN

For just the second time in the nearly 50-year history of the Islamic Republic, the country has buried a supreme leader. Ali Khamenei ruled Iran – as a spiritual leader and an iron-fisted autocrat – for nearly four decades. For many in Iran, he’s the only leader they have known. Then, as the frenzied funeral events reached their climax, US bombs and missiles struck across the country in retaliation at Iranian strikes on civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Just months ago, these strikes would have been an earthquake for the region. But after two wars in nine months, there was a sense of tired resignation when news of the airstrikes hit Tehran Wednesday. Just a week in the Iranian capital has offered an eye-opening insight into where the country is today. The government claimed north of 10 million mourners attended funeral events for the late Ayatollah Khamenei this week. An independent assessment of the numbers is almost impossible, but in Tehran, hundreds of thousands at least flooded streets for Monday’s funeral procession. Much of the 20-kilometer (12-mile) marching route was a river of black-clad mourners carrying the red flags of martyrdom and revenge. While many