Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on Saturday, with thousands of Iranians taking part more than four months after he was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Khamenei’s black turban was placed atop his coffin at the Grand Mosalla prayer complex in the capital.
Crowds, most of them dressed in black, began arriving before dawn, and Iranian state television announced the start of the official national funeral at around 6:00 a.m. local time (0230 GMT).
Authorities said they expect between 15 million and 20 million people to participate in the ceremonies in Tehran alone. The funeral events will continue for six days and include stops in Iraq before Khamenei is laid to rest in Mashhad, in northeastern Iran.
The funeral comes at a pivotal moment for Iran’s leadership, which is seeking to project an image of unity and resilience following a series of major challenges, including the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, nationwide protests earlier in 2026, and the U.S.-Israeli war, which is currently under a ceasefire.
Attention is focused on whether Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Khamenei’s son, who was injured during the war, will appear at the ceremonies. He has not been seen in public since the conflict began. Mojtaba was elected Supreme Leader in succession to his father in March and has since limited his public role to issuing written statements.
Security has been significantly tightened across Tehran, with police checkpoints deployed throughout the capital.
Hundreds had gathered near the Grand Mosalla on Friday evening to bid farewell to the man who led Iran for nearly four decades.
“We want to have one final look at our leader. Waiting like this is neither painful nor difficult for us,” said 44-year-old teacher Somayeh Hamedi.
Many mourners broke into tears before the ceremonies began as Quranic recitations, prayers, and religious hymns echoed across the venue.
“Coming here is the last and best thing we can do,” said Fatemeh Noudehi, a 25-year-old student from northern Iran, describing Khamenei as someone who “sacrificed his life” for Iran.
For millions of Iranians, Khamenei was the only Supreme Leader they had ever known. He succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, after serving as Iran’s president during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988).
His decades in power were marked by confrontation with the United States, despite Tehran signing a memorandum of understanding with Washington more than two weeks ago aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East.
Iranian officials have called for a massive public turnout to honor the leader who guided the country until his death at the age of 86.
Four members of Khamenei’s family who were killed alongside him, including the wife of his son Mojtaba, are also being laid to rest.
Final Farewell
Khamenei’s body will remain at the Grand Mosalla until Monday, when it will be taken through the streets of Tehran in a funeral procession before being transported to the holy city of Qom, south of the capital.
The coffin will then be taken to Iraq on July 8 to visit the shrines of Imam Ali in Najaf and Imam Hussein in Karbala, before returning to Iran for burial in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
Friday was reserved for official delegations to pay their respects. The Iranian delegation included the heads of the country’s three branches of government and senior military commanders, some of whom appeared publicly for the first time since the war began.
Among the foreign dignitaries who attended were Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating U.S.-Iran talks to end the conflict, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Taliban-led government, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, representing President Vladimir Putin.
Delegations from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry, Qatar, Egypt, and Oman also paid their respects, along with representatives from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Thursday for “all the Iranian people” to write “a glorious chapter in the history of Islamic Iran” by attending the funeral, describing it as “one of the most important moments” in the country’s history.
Authorities ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will make much of central Tehran inaccessible.
Airspace over the capital has been partially closed since Friday and will be fully closed on Monday.
AFP
