Six‑Day Funeral Procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Crosses into Iraq, Mobilizing Large Demonstrations in Najaf

In Najaf, Iraq, mourners gathered on Wednesday to follow the coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The six‑day funeral procession, which had drawn massive crowds across Iran, entered Iraq and was carried through the streets of the holy city on a large truck. Participants brandishing large portraits of Khamenei chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Iraqi and Iranian flags, as well as banners of Iran‑backed Iraqi militias, flew over the crowd. Najaf holds deep significance for Shia Muslims as the burial site of Imam Ali. Khamenei’s coffin arrived at Najaf’s international airport on Tuesday evening, where Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al‑Zaidi, senior officials and religious figures held an official ceremony. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and IRGC commanders also joined the procession, which is slated to continue to the shrine city of Karbala before the coffin returns to Iran for burial.

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