Mourners in Iran are preparing for a dayslong funeral and burial for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February during the ongoing war with the United States and Israel. The mourning period will include ceremonies in multiple cities and is expected to test the Iranian theocracy's ability to mobilize public support.
Khamenei's body will be on display at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on Saturday and Sunday. A procession through the streets of Tehran is scheduled for Monday, followed by the transfer of his body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom for honors on Tuesday. The ceremonies continue on Wednesday with the body being taken to Karbala, Iraq, a significant site for Shiite Muslims. Khamenei will ultimately be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city.
The funeral arrangements come as Iran navigates an uneasy ceasefire period and an interim deal with the United States aimed at negotiating terms for a final resolution to the war. Technical talks have begun in Qatar, but deep disagreements persist.
Authorities are anticipating a large turnout, potentially drawing millions, similar to the funeral of the first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989. That event resulted in a deadly stampede that injured thousands. A similar stampede during the 2020 funeral of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani killed at least 56 people and injured over 2,000. Concerns about a repeat of such incidents loom over the upcoming ceremonies.
It remains unclear if Khamenei's son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to have been wounded in the attack that killed his father, will make his first public appearance during the funeral proceedings. He is reportedly in hiding.
The delay in holding the funeral was attributed to the ongoing war. The leadership's decision to proceed now appears to be influenced by the interim deal and the perceived stability of the ceasefire. However, the event also occurs six months after a crackdown on nationwide protests against Khamenei's rule, adding a layer of political sensitivity.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had led Iran for nearly four decades before his death on Feb. 28. The Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, where he is to be buried, is a major pilgrimage site and the final resting place for many prominent Shiite clerics, including former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.