Iran has begun a period of national mourning and a series of funeral\nprocessions for its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The\nprocessions are being held more than four months after Khamenei was\nkilled in an attack launched by the United States and Israel.\nAuthorities have described the event as \u2018the funeral of the\ncentury\u2019.<\/p>\n
The body of the former Supreme Leader is scheduled to lie in state at\nTehran\u2019s Grand Mosalla starting Friday (03\/07), before being buried in\nhis hometown of Mashhad on Thursday (09\/07) next week. An official state\nfuneral ceremony will be held in Tehran on Saturday (04\/07).<\/p>\n
Officials estimate that between 12 and 20 million mourners will\nattend the proceedings. The scale of preparations is said to be\nunprecedented in the history of state ceremonies in Iran, involving the\nprovision of thousands of pilgrim service stations (mawkib),\naccommodation facilities capable of housing over a million visitors, and\nspecially designed traffic diversions in central Tehran to manage the\ncrowds. To ensure the smooth running of all events, the Tehran-based\nMohammad Rasulollah Corps, a key provincial unit of the Islamic\nRevolutionary Guard Corps, has been deployed to lead security\noperations.<\/p>\n
Authorities have adopted the slogan \u2018We must rise\u2019 as the official\nmotto for the funeral, accompanied by a clenched fist symbol. The list\nof political, religious, and security figures travelling to Tehran is\nexpected to be a major focus, with some analysts suggesting that the\nabsence of certain individuals could be as significant an indicator as\nthe presence of those who attend. Officials have stated that public\nfigures from dozens of countries are expected, including presidents,\nprime ministers, parliamentary speakers, and ministers. Around 800\nforeign journalists are also anticipated to cover the event.<\/p>\n
The seven-day series of ceremonies officially began on Friday at the\nGrand Mosalla in Tehran, where mourners were given the opportunity to\npay their final respects until Sunday afternoon. The coffin was placed\non a raised platform, with crowd movement routes designed to allow\nmourners to enter and exit the area within 15 to 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the proceedings will move to Qom, south of Tehran, where\na senior Shia cleric will lead funeral prayers at Jamkaran, one of\nIran\u2019s most prominent and symbolic religious sites. The following day,\nKhamenei\u2019s body will be taken to Najaf, Iraq. After a procession at the\nshrine of Imam Ali, the first imam in Shia Islam, the ceremonies will\ncontinue to Karbala before the body is returned to Iran. Iranian\nofficials stated the Iraq agenda was arranged to fulfil requests from\nvarious groups in Iraq, while analysts view it as a move to reaffirm\nKhamenei\u2019s significant influence in the Shia Muslim world and to\nshowcase Iran\u2019s deep religious and political ties in the region.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Khamenei will be buried in his hometown of Mashhad,\nwithin the Imam Reza Shrine Complex. This mausoleum of the eighth Shia\nimam is Iran\u2019s most important pilgrimage centre, attracting millions of\nvisitors annually. The national mourning period will continue across the\ncountry for 40 days, with a series of memorial events planned up to the\nfirst anniversary of his death.<\/p>\n
The funeral processions are taking place as the Islamic Republic of\nIran faces significant political and social challenges. Some analysts\nview the ceremonies as an opportunity for the state to display unity and\nreinforce its political narrative, potentially playing a symbolic role\nin consolidating the post-Khamenei order and rallying support for his\nsuccessor, his son Mojtaba. However, other observers caution that even\nlarge-scale mass mobilisation will not necessarily resolve the country\u2019s\ndeeper political and social divisions.<\/p>\n
As preparations were finalised, several crucial questions remained\nunanswered, including whether Khamenei\u2019s sons, particularly Mojtaba,\nwould attend their father\u2019s funeral. The sons have not been seen in\npublic since last year\u2019s \u201812-Day War\u2019, and uncertainty persists\nregarding Mojtaba\u2019s health following reports that several family\nmembers, including his wife, were killed in an attack on 28 February\n2026. The secretary of the organising committee stated on Tuesday, 30\nJune, that a decision regarding Mojtaba\u2019s attendance would be officially\nannounced by the office of the supreme commander of the armed forces and\nthe relevant authorities.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/facts-about-khameneis-funeral-expected-to-draw-millions-of-mourners-1783169564", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }