A procession carrying the remains of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, drew millions of mourners to the restoring capital, Tehran.
Khamenei and several members of his family, whose coffins were central to the procession, were killed in an airstrike at the very outset of the war launched against the Islamic Republic by the United States and Israel on February 28.
The large turnout, encouraged by the regime, served to display what it claims is the country’s enduring strength and unity as negotiations continue for a permanent resolution to the conflict.
Calls to avenge Khamenei’s death
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State television broadcast helicopter footage of a crowd stretching from Tehran’s Azadi (Freedom) Square for kilometres along the street bearing the same name.
The coffin of Khamenei, who was 86 at the time of his death, along with those of his relatives killed in the airstrike, were carried on a>
truck adorned with ornamental grating commonly used around an imam’s shrine.
Many participants beside the truck and along the procession route displayed placards, signs, and banners calling for the removal of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Misted water was sprayed on the attendees to alleviate the high temperatures.
The procession was set to move through Tehran for 12 hours before reaching its destination at Mehrabad International Airport, according to General Hasan Hasanzadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who is overseeing the event.
The official period of mourning began on Saturday and will conclude on Thursday, with Khamenei’s burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
New Supreme Leader Maverick Mojtaba Khamenei Notably Absent
Ali Khamenei’s son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, appointed to succeed his father, has yet to appear at any of the funeral ceremonies.He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly sustaining serious injuries in the airstrike that killed his father.
Israel has threatened to target him, as it has with several high‑ranking Iranian figures in the past.
Three of Ali Khamenei’s other sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral on Sunday.
Talks between the U.S. and Iran on ending the war appear to have stalled until the funeral events conclude.
The negotiations have so far focused on issues such as reopening the Strait of Hormuz—a vital oil and gas route that Iran largely shut down during the conflict—and Tehran’s nuclear program, which the U.S. accuses of developing weapons of mass destruction, a claim Iran denies.