Massive Crowds Flood Tehran as Iran Begins Week‑Long Funeral Rites for Slain Supreme Leader Khamenei
Mourners thronged a vast prayer complex in Tehran on Saturday as week‑long funeral ceremonies for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began with the national anthem, religious eulogies, and readings from the Koran.
Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Khamenei — whose 37‑year rule ended in February after he was killed in the first airstrike of the war launched by the U.S. and Israel — in a display of public devotion to the Islamic Republic’s theocratic system and revolutionary identity. (Disclaimer: The U.S. and Israel are referenced here as reported by Reuters. Readers should confirm details with trusted sources.)
Television footage showed his coffin draped in the Iranian flag and topped with his black turban. It was placed, along with four other coffins belonging to slain family members, on a large black platform resembling the Kaaba, the cube‑shaped structure at the centre of Islam’s holiest site in Mecca.
The vast courtyard of the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla was packed with mourners, many waving Iranian flags and holding photographs of the late leader.
Authorities plan to mobilise millions for major processions in the coming days, offering transport, food, and lodging to boost turnout.
The new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared in any new images since being wounded in the same strike that killed his father.
“‘Death to America’ chants echoed through Tehran’s Mosalla on the day of the farewell to ‘Mr. Martyr,’” state broadcaster Seda va Sima reported.
Videos on other state media platforms also captured mourners chanting: “Our slogan is one word: Revenge, revenge,” and “We will kill, we will kill he who killed our Imam.” (Note: These chants reflect public sentiment as reported by Reuters and do not represent endorsement.)
Water misted from rooftops to cool the crowds in the summer heat. Khamenei’s coffin will remain in the Mosalla until Sunday evening.
His body is expected to be taken to Qom, Najaf, and Kerbala — major Shi’ite centres in Iran and Iraq — before being laid to rest on Thursday in Mashhad, home to the country’s holiest pilgrim shrine.
The coffin was unveiled late Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters who swayed and beat their heads in rhythm with a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd. On Friday, it was laid in state in the prayer hall built to honour his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Source: Reuters