Photos show mourners in Tehran honoring the unknown soldiers killed in the 1980’s Iran-Iraq war
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Mourners gather around the flag-draped coffins of unknown Iranian soldiers who were killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during the funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Mourners gathered Monday in Iran’s capital to honor the unknown soldiers killed in the 1980–88 Iran-Iraq war, whose remains were recently recovered from former battlefields.
The ceremony paid tribute to 100 soldiers, with families, veterans, civilians and senior military officials participating. The remaining 200 bodies were reportedly buried simultaneously in other cities.
Processions through Tehran were filled with chanting, as mourners carried flowers and flags to honor the fallen. Military personnel stood by coffins draped in the Iranian colors, marking the return of soldiers who had been missing for decades.
The gathering allowed relatives and citizens to pay respects, acknowledge the losses of the long and devastating conflict, and finally lay to rest fighters who never returned home.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Women mourn over flag-draped coffins of a group of unknown soldiers who were killed during the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war, whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during a ceremony called “Farewell to Martyrs,” in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners carry a flag-draped coffin of an unknown Iranian soldier killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during the funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners hold up posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a funeral ceremony of unknown soldiers killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)A mourner reacts during a funeral ceremony of unknown Iranian soldiers who were killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners carry flag-draped coffins of unknown Iranian soldiers killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Women mourn over flag-draped coffins of a group of unknown soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during a ceremony called “Farewell to Martyrs,” in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners follow a truck carrying flag-draped coffins of unknown Iranian soldiers killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners gather around the flag-draped coffins of unknown Iranian soldiers who were killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during the funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners attend a funeral ceremony for unknown Iranian soldiers killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners pray next to the flag-draped coffins of a group of unknown soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during a ceremony called “Farewell to Martyrs,” in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Mourners carry the flag-draped coffins of unknown Iranian soldiers killed in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war, whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during the funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)A woman mourns over flag-draped coffins of a group of unknown soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war whose remains were recently recovered from the battlefields, during a ceremony called “Farewell to Martyrs,” in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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