Ali Khamenei's funeral procession scheduled for late June

Teheran (ANTARA) - The funeral procession for the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei is likely to be held in late June or early July, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani said on Friday. “The funeral procession for the leader who fell as a martyr will be held after the first ten days of Muharam (beginning 16 June) and will take place during the second ten days of the month,” Zakani said, as quoted by Iranian news channel SNN. Previously, the office of the Iranian leader’s administration stated that the farewell ceremony for Ali Khamenei would be held after the first ten days of the month of Muharam. Deputy Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Amin Tavakkoli-Zadeh said the farewell ceremony for Ali Khamenei would be held in three cities—Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad—and would last for three days. Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint United States and Israeli strike in Tehran on 28 February. The farewell ceremony could not be held earlier because the attacks continued throughout March, leading authorities to postpone the event. Ali Khamenei will be buried in his hometown of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran. Following Ali Khamenei’s death, his son Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as Iran’s new supreme leader. Mojtaba has not yet appeared in public since his appointment, but he has issued several statements to the Iranian people which have been published by official Iranian media.