Iran Begins Six-Day Funeral For Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Killed In February U.S.-Israeli War

Iran began a six-day funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for four decades and was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war in February.

“In Pictures Hundreds of thousands of people have poured into Tehran, with millions expected to attend a week of funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei”

Al Jazeera

The ceremony is scheduled to begin on July 4 and end on July 9, with the procession covering cities across Iran and Iraq before a final burial in Mashhad, Iran's holiest city.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera said hundreds of thousands poured into Tehran, with officials expecting the memorial to draw more than 10 million mourners from across the country and abroad.

Crowds jammed major avenues and the vast Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque as mourners, many dressed in black and waving flags, gathered to view the coffin of the 86-year-old leader.

Al Jazeera also reported that the bodies of several members of his family killed in the same strike, including his three-year-old granddaughter, are being honoured alongside him.

CNBC reported that the funeral is expected to draw tens of millions of mourners and that it "will be a tightly choreographed display of mourning, continuity and regime control," according to Sanam Vakil of Chatham House.

CNBC said the Islamic Republic is expected to enact unprecedented security measures, overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while the Basij paramilitary force will coordinate logistics, accommodation and crowd management across the various cities.

CNBC

Al Jazeera said the funeral programme stretches over six days, with successive ceremonies in Tehran through Monday before moving to the holy city of Qom, then to Iraq, and finally to the northeastern city of Mashhad for burial.

Al Jazeera added that analysts said the timing in the first 10 days of Muharram and coinciding with the United States’ Independence Day is laden with symbolism, framing Khamenei’s death within a Shia narrative of martyrdom.

CNBC quoted Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute saying: "This is basically a political event portrayed as a religious one."

Al Jazeera reported that authorities have opened more than 5,000 schools and tens of thousands of classrooms nationwide to accommodate pilgrims travelling to the capital.

“In Pictures Hundreds of thousands of people have poured into Tehran, with millions expected to attend a week of funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei”

Al Jazeera

CNBC said Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani has said attendance could reach 20 million people, potentially making it the largest gathering in the city's history.

For the final burial, CNBC reported that Iranian authorities estimate between 8 million and 10 million people could attend the final burial ceremony in Mashhad.

CNBC said more than 30 countries have officially requested participation, with Tasnim News Agency quoting Ali Akbar Poorjamshidian of the IRGC, and that Pakistan has confirmed its attendance.

CNBC also said authorities have said highways around Tehran will be converted into temporary parking zones, while schools, mosques, universities and sports halls will be used to accommodate visitors, and that flights are expected to be disrupted and access to major cities tightly controlled.