Months after the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic is holding an elaborate state funeral that officials say could become the largest in the country’s history.
Khamenei, who exercised ultimate authority over Iran’s political, military and religious institutions for 37 years, was killed at the age of 86 during US and Israeli missile strikes on his residential and working compound in central Tehran on February 28.
The funeral, originally planned for March, was repeatedly postponed amid its war with the US and Israel. Iranian officials said the delay was necessary because of the security situation created by the war, while also insisting that Khamenei’s remains had been preserved in accordance with religious requirements.
Beginning on July 3 and continuing until July 9, ceremonies will be held across five cities in Iran and Iraq, with authorities hoping to get up to 20 million mourners to attend.
Delegations from over 100 countries are also expected to attend what Tehran is presenting as a historic farewell to one of the most influential figures in the Islamic Republic’s history.
The official mourning period opened in Tehran with a ceremony for foreign dignitaries at the Grand Mosalla complex, one of the country’s most important religious and ceremonial venues.
Interestingly, Khamenei’s casket has been draped in the sacred flag that once flew over the shrine of Imam Hussein, one of the Shia saints to whom Khamenei traces his lineage. The red flag with white lettering is a “symbol of resistance, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion to truth,” according to an X post from the Iranian government.
Public funeral ceremonies in Tehran are scheduled for July 4 and 5, when Khamenei’s coffin, alongside those of several family members, will lie in state for mourners to pay their respects.
The procession will then move to Qom between July 6 and 7. The holy city, located south of Tehran, is home to Iran’s leading religious seminaries and played a central role in Khamenei’s clerical education and rise within the Islamic establishment.
At the request of Iraqi political and religious figures, the funeral cortege will also travel on July 8 to the holy Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf. Karbala, home to the shrine of Imam Hussein, occupies a central place in Shia religious tradition, while Najaf houses the shrine of Imam Ali, the first Imam of Shia Islam. The inclusion of the Iraqi leg reflects Khamenei’s influence across the wider Shia world.
The final burial ceremony will take place on July 9 in Mashhad, Iran’s holiest city and Khamenei’s birthplace. He was born there in 1939 and began his religious studies in the city before later continuing his education in Qom. He will be laid to rest near the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam in Shia Islam.
The funeral also coincides with a period of political transition under Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. However, Iranian media and officials have indicated that Mojtaba is unlikely to make a public appearance during the ceremonies because of security concerns following reports that he was injured in the strike that killed his father.
One of the attendee nations, the Indian delegation is led by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lieutenant General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain paid tribute at the Grand Mosalla complex ahead of the public ceremonies.
Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid attended on behalf of the Congress party, while People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti was among the invited political figures from Jammu and Kashmir.
Iranian authorities have described the week-long ceremonies as one of the most significant events in the country’s modern history.
Determined to avoid the deadly crowd crushes that occurred during the funerals of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 and General Qasem Soleimani in 2020, the government has imposed extensive security measures across Tehran and other host cities.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared public holidays in Tehran from Saturday through Monday to accommodate the expected influx of mourners. Airspace restrictions have also been imposed over the capital, while major roads and public spaces are under heightened security.
Iran expects representatives from nearly 100 countries to attend various stages of the funeral, making it not only a national event but also a significant international gathering as the Islamic Republic bids farewell to the leader who shaped its political direction for nearly four decades.
