Iran is holding the largest Iran state funeral in its history for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, from July 4 to July 9 across multiple cities in Iran and Iraq. The six-day mourning period has prompted a temporary pause in the ongoing US-Iran diplomatic talks in Doha, Qatar. Khamenei was killed on February 28 in a US-Israeli airstrike.
Iranian authorities project between 15 and 20 million mourners will attend the historic processions spanning Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, Karbala, and Najaf. Officials from more than 30 nations, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alongside representatives from China, Russia, and India, have confirmed their attendance. Due to the unprecedented scale of this Iran state funeral, authorities will fully close Tehran’s airspace, shut local airports, and ban private vehicles near the ceremonial routes to ensure security.
Three sons of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a rare public appearance on Sunday to attend his massive state funeral, but his second son and newly appointed successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, was notably absent. However, the continued public absence of the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has fueled intense speculation. Mojtaba has not been seen or heard from publicly since the February bombardment that killed his father.
Following a massive street procession in central Tehran on Monday, the late Supreme Leader’s remains will be transported to the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday. The cortege will then travel to the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in neighboring Iraq on Wednesday, before returning to Iran for a final burial in Khamenei’s hometown of Mashhad on Thursday, July 9.
