Iran is preparing for days of mass funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed by Israel in the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion.
The ceremonies are expected to take place across several sites in Iran and Iraq, with Iranian authorities presenting the events as both a farewell to the leader who ruled the Islamic Republic for 36 years and a show of strength under the slogan “We must avenge.”
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A giant image of Khamenei hung on the Imam Khomeini prayer hall in Tehran, where the ceremonies will begin on Saturday
Mass farewell ceremonies for Khamenei are expected to begin Saturday and Sunday at the Imam Khomeini prayer hall in Tehran. On Monday, July 6, a massive funeral procession is planned in the capital from Imam Hussein Square to Azadi Square. Tehran authorities estimate that 15 million to 20 million people could attend. A day later, another funeral procession is expected in Qom, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest cities.
Next Wednesday, Khamenei’s coffin is expected to be taken to Iraq for farewell ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala, also holy cities for Shiites. The Iraqi government is expected to release the detailed schedule for the ceremonies later.
On Thursday, July 9, a mass funeral will be held in Mashhad in northeastern Iran, where Khamenei is expected to be buried at the Imam Reza shrine. Mashhad was Khamenei’s birthplace and is also one of the most important religious centers in Shiite Islam. According to some reports, a separate ceremony for foreign leaders and senior officials is also expected to be held in Tehran on Friday.
Khamenei was killed on February 28 in the opening strike of the war. His son Mojtaba, who was wounded in the same attack and has since been appointed to succeed him as supreme leader, has not appeared publicly or released even a recorded statement, and remains in hiding. Since Khamenei’s killing, amid the fighting and the continuing tension that has lingered through the three months since the cease-fire in early April, no formal funeral has been held.
Iman Attarzadeh, spokesman for the committee organizing the farewell and funeral events, revealed additional details Thursday about the ceremonies and the condition of Khamenei’s body. He said the bodies of Khamenei and members of his family are still being kept with “maximum respect and care” and have not even been buried temporarily.
Mourning ceremonies in Tehran on March 1, a day after Khamenei was killed
(Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)
(Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)
(Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)
Attarzadeh said 14,000 journalists, photographers, content creators and other media workers had registered to cover the event. More than 900 foreign journalists are expected to attend, a figure he described as “record-breaking and unprecedented.”
Senior officials and leaders from more than 40 countries are also expected to attend the funeral ceremonies, alongside the general public.
“According to the estimates, the level of desire to participate in this event is unprecedented compared with any ceremony held in the past 47 years,” Attarzadeh said, referring to the years since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. “Various national institutions, from the first days after his death, mobilized all their resources to organize the farewell, funeral and burial ceremonies and to host those arriving from inside and outside the country.”
The organizing committee said the ceremonies will be held under the title “Martyr of Iran” and the slogan “We must avenge.” The official symbol of the events is a clenched fist, inspired by one of Khamenei’s own statements, in which he said that when he visited the body of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Khomeini’s left fist was clenched.
Ali Khamenei
(Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS)
Attarzadeh said the ceremonies are not intended only for the Iranian people, adding that in the Arab world the slogan will be “Rise for God,” meaning “die for God.”
“From the countries of the resistance front to the ends of the earth, freedom fighters and supporters of liberty are raising the divine slogan ‘Rise for God,’” he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that “the leader’s funeral should be a symbol of national unity and cohesion.”
“He is considered an influential figure in the Islamic world and in the global Shiite community,” Pezeshkian said.
Emergency services in Tehran have already announced full preparations ahead of the funeral events. Mohammad Esmaeil Tavakoli, head of the Tehran province emergency department, warned of the risk of heatstroke and said seven helicopters had arrived to assist emergency services in the area.
The Iranian army said the funeral ceremonies, which will be held across the country, would become “a global movement condemning American-Zionist terrorism and crimes.”
Meanwhile, the decoration of Tehran’s streets and the various sites where the ceremonies will take place is continuing, with videos of the preparations being published by channels affiliated with the Iranian regime. At Vali-e Asr Square in Tehran, a new sign was unveiled ahead of the events bearing the words “the last meeting.”
While Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition remains unknown, official Iranian reports said he was the one who announced the funeral arrangements. A national headquarters was established to oversee the farewell and funeral ceremonies under the responsibility of Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently visited Iraq, with Iranian reports saying one of the goals of the visit was to finalize the funeral arrangements there.
“Like Iran, Iraq is preparing for a mass funeral for Ali Khamenei, an event that will undoubtedly be remembered in history and will further strengthen the ties between the two nations,” Araghchi said after the visit.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Wednesday that “Ali Khamenei’s funeral is a significant event for Iran, and we are making the necessary arrangements for it.”
Iranian television has continued to broadcast interviews and statements from senior officials describing the preparations for the large-scale ceremonies. Some 67,000 Red Crescent personnel are on alert to provide assistance during the funeral events, with millions expected to take part at the various sites.