TEHRAN: Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Saturday as Iran officially began funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on the opening day of the Middle East conflict. The six-day funeral is expected to draw millions of people and is being presented by Iranian authorities as a demonstration of national unity and resilience.
State media said between 15 and 20 million people are expected to participate in the ceremonies in Tehran over the next three days. Khamenei, who led Iran from 1989 until his assassination at the age of 86 on February 28, will be honoured through a series of events across Iran and neighbouring Iraq before his burial in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday.
The funeral proceedings are also being closely watched for any public appearance by Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as supreme leader a week after the assassination but has yet to be seen publicly.
Thousands of people carrying red banners assembled at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, where Khamenei’s coffin was scheduled to arrive. Chants of “death to America” and “revenge, revenge” echoed throughout the venue.
“We came (to the funeral) because we promised the supreme leader we would stand by him to the very end,” 37-year-old university professor Reza, who gave only one name, told AFP.
“For a long time, we shouted that we would sacrifice our lives for the leader, but it was he who sacrificed himself for us.”
Javad Akbari, a 43-year-old food-processing plant worker, said: “I never had the chance to see the supreme leader up close, and I regret that. Today, I have come to bid him a final farewell.”
An AFP journalist reported that many mourners walked several kilometres to reach the venue, while supporters had started gathering outside the Grand Mosalla on Friday evening.
“We want to say a final goodbye to our leader, which is why waiting like this isn’t painful or difficult for us,” Somayye Hamedi told AFP.
Authorities have implemented extensive security measures, including road closures and the anticipated shutdown of Iranian airspace, as the funeral is expected to become the country’s largest public gathering since the burial of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
Khamenei’s coffin will remain in Tehran until Monday before a funeral procession moves through the capital. It will then travel to the religious city of Qom on Tuesday, continue to Shia holy sites in Iraq on Wednesday, and finally return to Mashhad for burial on Thursday.
Senior Iranian officials attended the opening ceremonies on Friday, including Parliament Speaker and chief nuclear negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who appeared visibly emotional. Ahmad Vahidi, recently appointed head of the Revolutionary Guards after the assassination of his predecessor in the same strikes, also attended after remaining out of public view since the attack.
Attention remains focused on Mojtaba Khamenei, who has only communicated through written statements since assuming leadership and is believed to have been injured during the strikes, although the extent of those injuries has not been disclosed.
Among those paying tribute were foreign dignitaries, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has been mediating between Iran and the United States, and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, representing President Vladimir Putin. Delegations from Hamas, Hezbollah and Afghanistan’s Taliban government also attended.
Although active fighting has paused following an initial understanding between Iran and the United States after five weeks of conflict, Iranian leaders reiterated that the country remains prepared to resume military action if necessary.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” said Ghalibaf, urging citizens to participate in large numbers.
Army chief Amir Hatami declared that Israel and the United States “will pay for the blood of the martyred leader and all the nation’s martyrs”.
Officials have also taken measures to minimise risks associated with the massive gathering, particularly concerns over crowd crushes. State television broadcast safety guidance for attendees, while water tankers were deployed across Tehran to cool roads as temperatures were forecast to exceed 35 degrees Celsius.
Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents noted that Tehran’s usually congested streets were unusually quiet as large sections of the capital remained closed for the funeral events.
