Iran holds mass funeral for late Supreme Leader Khamenei in Tehran

TEHRAN: Hundreds of thousands of mourners flooded the streets of the Tehran on Sunday to attend the funeral prayers for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after he was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike.

The sprawling compound of the Grand Mosalla in Tehran was packed to capacity as grief-stricken crowds waved red flags — a traditional symbol of blood vengeance and justice — and chanted anti-US slogans such as “revenge, revenge.”

Ayatollah Ja’far Subhani led the funeral prayers for the late Supreme Leader, as well as for members of Khamenei’s family who died alongside him, including his daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and young granddaughter.

The high-profile ceremony was attended by Iran’s top leadership, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, alongside foreign delegations representing 100 countries.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir traveled to Tehran at the official invitation of President Pezeshkian to express solidarity, offer condolences and pay their respect to the late Iranian Supreme Leader.

Iran has declared a nationwide public holiday for Monday, with an official day of mourning scheduled for July 8.

The massive public funeral comes months after Ayatollah Khamenei was killed on February 28 in a joint military operation by the United States and Israel.

Following the assassination, Iran moved swiftly to ensure political continuity, electing a new Supreme Leader on March 8, just a week after the strike. However, the final burial rites were deferred until now.

On Saturday, the bodies of the late Supreme Leader and his family members were laid in state in Tehran to allow the public to pay their final respects.

According to state media, the formal progression of the funeral rites will span several days and cross international borders into neighboring Iraq:

On Monday morning, the main funeral procession will march through the streets of Tehran.

Later, the bodies will be transported to the Iranian holy city of Qom.

The remains will then be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala for further funerary rites.

The final burial will take place on July 9 in Ayatollah Khamenei’s hometown of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran.