Iranian Authorities Prepare Funeral Ceremonies for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Expect 18-35 Million

Iranian authorities have launched extensive security, traffic and logistical preparations for the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, with officials expecting one of the largest public gatherings in the country’s history.

The multi-city programme is scheduled between July 7 and July 9, spanning Tehran, Qom, the Iraqi holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, and Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad, where Ayatollah Khamenei will be laid to rest at the shrine of Imam Reza (AS).

Al-Quds al-Arabi

Iranian officials estimate attendance across the ceremonies could range between 18 million and 35 million people, with Tehran projected to host between 15 million and 20 million mourners and Mashhad expected to host another eight to 10 million participants.

Authorities said Tehran is expected to receive nearly two million incoming vehicles, prompting traffic diversion plans, public transport arrangements and emergency response systems.

Iraqi authorities began logistical preparations for commemorative processions on July 8, after the decision to hold part of the funeral procession in Iraq followed appeals from Iraqi religious scholars, tribal leaders, intellectuals and citizens.

Iranian officials are considering holding slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral procession airborne to reduce crowding and improve security, the governor of Razavi Khorasan province said on Saturday.

Gholamhossein Mozaffari said the proposal, put forward by the provincial security council, was likely to be implemented because it would ease crowd management and provide safer conditions.

ANF

Officials have announced that Khamenei is due to be buried in the northeastern city of Mashhad on July 9, as the funeral preparations continue across Tehran and Qom.

In a separate statement, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s representative to the Revolutionary Guards said the force would never reconcile with the United States and remained committed to Israel’s destruction, with Abdollah Haji-Sadeghi saying any negotiations with Washington would not aim at peace or friendship.

A military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Mohsen Rezaei, said violations of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding would be met with a "swift and crushing" response.

Press TV said details were announced for the upcoming two-day public farewell and funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, with the event expected to attract up to 20 million people.

Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s Tehran Command, who heads the headquarters overseeing the ceremonies, said the farewell ceremonies, funeral prayers, and funeral processions are to be held on July 4 and 5.

Hassanzadeh said the public farewell and funeral prayers over the body of the martyred Leader would be at the capital's Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Grounds, with the public farewell beginning at 6:00 a.m. (local time) on July 4 and no public access permitted before that time.

He also said the funeral prayers are scheduled for the morning of July 5, while the farewell ceremony will continue through the day until 8:00 p.m., and that organizers decided against using a single procession route after technical assessments concluded that no individual street in Tehran could safely accommodate the anticipated number of mourners.

Press TV further stated that Ayatollah Khamenei was martyred following the launch of the latest bout of unprovoked American-Israeli aggression against Iran on February 28, and said Iran responded by staging at least 100 decisive and successful retaliatory strikes against sensitive and strategic American and Israeli targets.