In brief
The Iranian capital has commenced an intensive mourning period for the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February by U.S. and Israeli strikes. The state has announced a six‑day tribute that will involve a three‑day lying‑in‑state in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, followed by a journey through Najaf, Iraq, and culminating in a burial in Mashhad’s Imam Reza shrine. Raw estimates suggest 12–20 million mourners, a staggering figure hinting at the Ayatollah’s enduring influence. The event unfolds beside a fragile ceasefire with the United States, signalling a tense but pivotal moment for Iran and its neighbours.
The Iranian capital has opened its gates to memorials in a national statement of grief, as the state lays the body of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a solemn procession that will extend from Tehran to nearby Iraq.
After the U.S. and Israeli forces struck a series of drone and missile attacks in February, the 74‑year‑old former leader was killed in his hometown of Mashhad. Iran has now announced a six‑day mourning period slated to begin on Friday night, with a viewing of the coffin held in the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla.
The government has called the event the “funeral of the century,” projecting that 12 to 20 million mourners will attend — a figure that, if accurate, would double the number of people that ever stood in line during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Authorities closed all offices in the capital from Saturday to Monday and halted most private vehicles in the city centre. Air traffic over Tehran is now partially restricted, authorities said.
The tribute will spread over 40 days, starting with a three‑day lying‑in‑state period, followed by a week‑long transfer through the holy city of Najaf, where the coffins of Khamenei and his family will pass the shrine of Imam Ali. A final burial ceremony takes place in Mashhad’s Imam Reza shrine on Thursday.
International observers, including Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have been invited to attend the rites, underscoring the Ayatollah’s influence beyond Iran. The new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to appear publicly, and the choice of leadership for funeral prayers remains a highly politicised decision.
The death arrives at a time when Iran preserves a fragile ceasefire with the United States, following a preliminary agreement in June that pledged a halt to hostilities for a short period.
