As millions of mourners gathered at the Holy Jamkaran Mosque in Qom on Tuesday to offer funeral prayers for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and members of his family, a billboard reading “$100 Million Bounty for Trump” was displayed in the religious city, reflecting continued anger among some Iranians.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s body was transferred to the Jamkaran Mosque, where it was placed on public display before the funeral prayers. The ceremony was led by Grand Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi Amoli and attended by religious scholars, government officials, military commanders and other dignitaries.
The funeral commemorations have moved to some of the most sacred sites for Shia Muslims, including Qom, south of Tehran, on Tuesday, followed by ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala in neighbouring Iraq.
Following the prayers, a funeral procession was scheduled to move from the Jamkaran Mosque to the Shrine of Hazrat Fatima Masumeh.
As the body of the slain Supreme Leader was brought to Qom and funeral ceremonies continued, IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani said the funeral procession planned in Iraq would deepen calls for revenge and strengthen unity between the two countries against the United States.
He added that plans by Iraq’s government to hold funeral ceremonies for Khamenei showed the depth of ties between the two countries.
Ghaani said the funeral for Khamenei in Iraq would tighten “the clenched fists” of both counties against what he called American plots and make “the red line of blood vengeance” more pronounced.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will attend an official reception ceremony at Najaf International Airport on Tuesday for the arrival of the body of the martyred Leader Khamenei, IRNA reported.
According to the source, quoted by Iraqi news outlet Shafaq News, the reception ceremony will be attended by the Iraqi prime minister and other senior Iraqi officials.
Following the prayers, a funeral procession was scheduled to proceed from the Jamkaran Mosque to the Shrine of Hazrat Fatima Masumeh.
Crowds from across Iran began arriving in Qom on Monday, filling the courtyards and prayer halls of the mosque before dawn. Mourners travelled on foot and by vehicle, carrying red banners and the Iranian national flag as they gathered for the ceremony.
The multi-day funeral rites began on Friday, with Ayatollah Khamenei’s body placed at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, where foreign dignitaries and religious figures paid their respects. Public farewell ceremonies and prayers continued over the weekend.
On Monday, large crowds lined the streets of Tehran as the funeral procession passed through the capital.
The ceremonies are scheduled to continue in Iraq on Wednesday. The final rites will be held on Thursday in Mashhad, where Ayatollah Khamenei is set to be buried at the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam, in accordance with his reported wishes.
Ayatollah Khamenei was killed along with some members of his family on February 28, the first day of US attack on Iran which Tehran calls “illegal war of aggression” by the United States and Israel against the country.
Following his death, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday rejected US President Donald Trump’s description of mourning scenes for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as “fake tears”, saying the grief expressed by mourners reflected genuine pain and sorrow.
“Tears arise from the pain and sorrow that surges within a person, and the world sees this truth,” Pezeshkian said.
The final burial ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, the birthplace of Ayatollah Khamenei and one of Iran’s holiest cities.
The funeral ceremonies were intended to portray Khamenei not only as a national leader but also as a major religious and political figure whose influence extended across the Muslim world, particularly among Shia communities.
Red flags can be seen among the sea of black worn by thousands of mourners attending the funeral ceremonies, with religious flags symbolising blood and martyrdom accompanying calls for revenge over the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
An Iranian messaging application where supporters are calling “Our revenge is inevitable” and “They will pay. Hard,” reflecting anger among sections of the crowd over Khamenei’s death, Iranian state media reported. .
