Top Iranian officials and dignitaries from around the world paid their final respects to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday, marking the beginning of a week-long series of funeral rites in Tehran, where his remains lie in state.
Authorities anticipate that public mourning and elaborate processions will draw millions before Khamenei’s interment next week, following his death at 86 in February during the initial US-Israeli offensive in the Middle East conflict.
Photographs from AFP depicted mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin aloft at the expansive Grand Mosalla religious complex in Tehran, with the urn adorned in the colors of the Islamic Republic under his leadership spanning over three decades.
State Television broadcast footage of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi, who made his first public appearance since the conflict’s onset in February, all paying respects to Khamenei’s coffin.
Notable international figures, including Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev, and Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister, joined the mourning proceedings. Delegations from Hamas and Hezbollah also participated in the ceremonies ahead of a public memorial event.
Representatives from approximately 30 nations, including major allies like China and regional partners in the Caucasus, are anticipated to attend the funeral. The city is mobilizing to accommodate the influx of visitors, with locals preparing hospitality for out-of-town mourners.
Ezzat Shoai, a 61-year-old educator, expressed the communal spirit, stating, “Our neighborhood has prepared our homes to welcome visitors from beyond the capital. Together, we’ll bid farewell to our revered leader, God willing.”
Ghalibaf, speaking on Thursday, called upon Iranians to “inscribe a glorious chapter in the annals of Islamic Iran through their presence.” He also emphasized, “The nation’s demand for retribution must resonate globally.”
Security forces remain on high alert as portraits and statements from Khamenei are displayed across the Grand Mosalla’s walls. In Tehran, a large park has been transformed into a relief camp with hundreds of Red Crescent tents. Infrastructure preparations include dismantling barriers along Azadi Avenue for the funeral procession, with water-spraying tankers deployed to manage temperatures. A symbolic Shia boat, draped in red flags, has been erected as part of the ceremonial arrangements.
Khamenei’s remains will lie in state for three days, accompanied by the bodies of his slain family members, including his young granddaughter, whose coffin bore Iran’s tricolor flag.
Public holidays have been declared in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad to facilitate the extensive mourning events. Government and private institutions in Tehran will remain closed from Saturday to Monday, with significant traffic restrictions in place. Airspace over Tehran is partially restricted from Friday and fully closed on Monday for security reasons. Following the Tehran ceremonies, Khamenei’s body will be transported to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before final burial in Mashhad, his birthplace, on July 9.
It remains unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and designated successor who has not appeared publicly since assuming office, will attend the Tehran commemoration.
AFP correspondents observed an atypical calm in Tehran, with normally congested streets free of traffic. Some residents, like tech worker Saeid, 29, are departing, citing unbearable conditions: “The highways northbound are packed. Many have already left, and I’m following suit; staying has become untenable.”
