Iran Closes Airspace During Khamenei's Funeral Procession
Iran completely closed Tehran’s airspace on Monday (6/7) local time, as part of the funeral procession for their former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The airspace closure impacted flight activity at Tehran’s two main airports, which were temporarily suspended.
According to a report by the ISNA news agency, flights in other parts of Iran continued normally without restrictions on Sunday (5/7) local time. However, on Monday (6/7) local time, ISNA reported that Tehran’s airspace would be completely shut down during the main procession for Khamenei’s funeral.
Based on the schedule announced by the Civil Aviation Organisation, regular flights at Tehran’s two main airports, Mehrabad International Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport, were temporarily suspended on Monday (6/7) local time. The suspension of flight activity lasted the entire day, coinciding with the public ceremony in the Iranian capital.
On Tuesday (7/7) local time, Mehrabad Airport will resume normal operations. However, Imam Khomeini Airport will remain closed. Iranian authorities stated that on 9 July, the airspace over the eastern city of Mashhad will be completely closed and operations at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport will also be temporarily halted during the final stage of the funeral ceremony.
Flights in other parts of Iran will continue without restrictions on 7-8 July local time, except in Mashhad on the final day of Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies. Khamenei died in a combined United States and Israeli strike on Iran on 28 February, which sparked weeks of war and heightened tensions across the region.
Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies officially began on Friday (3/7) last week, with foreign leaders and official delegations from various regions and abroad paying their final respects. According to the official schedule from Iranian authorities, the final public tribute ceremony, followed by the main funeral procession in Tehran, took place on Monday (6/7). The ceremonies then moved to Qom on Tuesday (7/7) local time.
On Wednesday (8/7), ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Iraqi cities such as Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala, where Khamenei’s coffin will be brought and received by religious and political figures. The final funeral ceremony and burial of Khamenei will be held on Thursday (9/7) in Mashhad, specifically at the Imam Reza Shrine complex, one of the main Shia holy sites in Iran. The city of Mashhad is the birthplace of the late Khamenei.