Ahead of Khamenei's Funeral, Iran Prepares Large-Scale Ceremony

Ahead of Khamenei’s funeral, Iran prepared a large-scale farewell ceremony. The report states that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is to be buried in the holy city of Mashhad. Before the burial, the Iranian government will host a large farewell ceremony in Tehran. The plan was announced by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps via its official Telegram account, though without publishing the schedule for Khamenei’s funeral. ‘A large farewell ceremony will be held in Tehran before the funeral procession,’ the IRGC wrote, according to AFP, on Wednesday (4 March 2026). Khamenei died in a wave of US-Israeli strikes at the age of 86, after leading Iran for 36 years. He is believed to have originated from Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, which is also the location of his father’s grave in the Imam Reza complex. Following Khamenei’s death, power is temporarily exercised by a three-member transitional council until the Assembly of Experts elects a new Supreme Leader. The council consists of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a legal expert from the Guardian Council, the body that oversees legislation and screens presidential candidates. Quoting an official familiar with the process, Fars reported that ‘for security reasons’ the Assembly’s final meeting could be postponed until after Khamenei’s funeral. Several Iranian media also reported that the Assembly building in the holy city of Qom was attacked on Tuesday in the wave of US-Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, its main headquarters in Tehran was also reported to have been targeted a day earlier.