Iran Begins Six-Day Funeral Procession for Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran has begun the funeral proceedings for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The funeral ceremony was held on July 4, local time, at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla, a large prayer complex in the capital city of Tehran.

Earlier this morning, before the funeral procession arrived at the square, a massive crowd of mourners gathered, shouting slogans such as "Death to America" and "Revenge," expressing intense anger.

Authorities estimate that up to 2 million mourners will gather in Tehran alone.

The funeral schedule is set to continue for six days, concluding on July 9.

Starting today, members of the public will pay their respects over the next two days by filing past his coffin, which is lying in state at the Mosalla in Tehran.

On July 6, the funeral events will move to the central religious city of Qom.

On the third day, July 7, funeral services will be held in Baghdad and Najaf, as well as in the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Karbala.

The funeral proceedings will conclude on July 9 with a burial ceremony at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, a Shiite holy city in northeastern Iran and the birthplace of Ayatollah Khamenei.

Ayatollah Khamenei was killed along with his family in a targeted Israeli airstrike on his residence on February 28, the day the war with the United States and Israel began.

Iran had been unable to hold a funeral due to the war, but following a ceasefire agreement with the U.S. last month, the ceremony is finally being held 126 days after his death.

The funeral schedule for Ayatollah Khamenei has been set to coincide with the U.S. Independence Day, which marks the nation's 250th anniversary.

Attention is focused on whether his son and successor, the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since the war began, will attend the funeral.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.