Ayatollah Khamenei's Coffin Displayed as Mourners Weep at Pre-Funeral Ceremony

The coffin of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was displayed in public for the first time, following his death in a joint US-Israeli airstrike in late February. Mourners greeted the arrival of the coffin with tears and religious chants.

Photographs released by Iranian media showed mourners carrying the flag-draped coffin into the Grand Mosalla, officially known as the Imam Khomeini Mosalla, in Tehran. Other images depicted crowds dressed in black attending the pre-funeral event, where the coffin was placed against a backdrop of red flowers and hanging white butterfly decorations.

The coffin’s first public appearance occurred on Thursday, when it was placed beside a husseiniyeh at the Grand Mosalla. According to the IRNA news agency, the pre-funeral ceremony was held for the families of armed forces members and staff of the Supreme Leader’s office, who were the first to view the coffin.

Iman Attarzadeh, a spokesman for the funeral committee, stated that the event provided an opportunity for the families of those killed in the conflict to pay their final respects. The ceremony was largely restricted to invited mourners, though footage was broadcast on state television.

Public funeral ceremonies are set to begin on Saturday, with Khamenei’s body lying in repose at the Grand Mosalla complex in central Tehran. Members of the public will be able to pay their respects during farewell ceremonies scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. A funeral procession will take place in Tehran on Monday, followed by a second procession in the religiously significant city of Qom on Tuesday. The body will then be flown to Iraq for ceremonies in the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Tuesday and Wednesday. The final rites will be held in Iran on Thursday, with burial in Mashhad, the late leader’s birthplace.