Coffins containing the bodies of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several family members were laid out at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran today, ahead of funeral processions from July 4-9.
Khamenei, along with his daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law and daughter-in-law, was killed in February during the opening wave of the US-Israel attack on Iran.
A red flag from the Imam Reza Shrine in Iran’s Mashhad was placed over the coffin of the late Iranian supreme leader. According to a post from the Iranian Government, the red flag with white lettering is a “symbol of resistance, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion to truth.”
Iranian state media said that the coffins laid out included the bodies of Khamenei’s son-in-law Mesbah-ol-Hoda Bagheri, his eldest daughter Seyyedeh Boshra Hosseini Khamenei, his daughter-in-law Zahra Haddad Adel and his 14-month-old granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpaygani.
A photo of an infant, reported by state media to be of Zahra Mohammadi Golpaygani, was also on display in front of a baby-sized coffin. All the caskets were painted with Iran’s flag.
Funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei are expected to take place at multiple locations in Iran and Iraq from July 4 to July 9, culminating in his burial at the Imam Reza shrine in his hometown of Mashhad.
Four months after he was killed at the outset of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is being memorialized in a weeklong funeral spectacle stretching across five cities in two countries, with millions of mourners expected to attend.
From Saturday, July 4 to Monday, July 6, the six-day ceremonies will begin in Tehran. Khamenei’s body will lie in state at the Grand Mosalla prayer complex for public viewing. On Monday, a major funeral procession will take place through the streets of the capital city.
On Tuesday, July 7, the procession will move from Tehran to the holy city of Qom. On Wednesday, July 8, the ceremonies continue outside of Iran, travelling to the historic holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in neighbouring Iraq. On Thursday, July 9, Khamenei’s body returns to Iran for the final burial in his hometown of Mashhad.
Meanwhile, mourners started to gather to pay their respects at the coffin of Iran’s slain former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
Iranian officials expect between 15 and 20 million mourners to participate over the six days, prompting police to announce a high alert. Leaders and representatives from more than 30 countries – including Pakistan, Russia, and China – and religious figures from 90 nations are scheduled to attend.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Iranians to attend Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral in “large numbers,” and said the former Supreme Leader’s death marked the “beginning of a new chapter” for the country.
His message, was posted yesterday on the semi-official Tasnim news agency. “This martyrdom is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new chapter of national unity, resilience, and progress,” Pezeshkian said, arguing that Khamenei’s death had also demonstrated “this system rests on the firm foundations of faith, ideals, and the will of a great nation.”
He called on all Iranians, “regardless of ethnicity, religion, political views, or background” to attend the planned ceremonies in order to portray a united front to the world.
Tight Security In Tehran Ahead Of Khamenei’s Funeral
Police roadblocks, army vehicles, street stalls and posters began appearing across Tehran in the early hours of Friday as Iran prepared for millions of mourners to attend the long-delayed funeral of Ali Khamenei, who led the country as supreme leader for 36 years.
Officials have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday to Monday. They have also set up traffic restrictions that will block private vehicles from much of the city centre.Tehran’s airspace will be partly closed from Friday and fully shut on Monday.
The capital, along with Qom and Mashhad, will observe public holidays during the ceremonies. Qom and Mashhad are due to host later stages of the funeral and burial proceedings.
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