Tehran to Fully Close Airspace for Khamenei's Funeral Procession

Iran will completely close Tehran’s airspace on Monday as part of the funeral procession arrangements for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the ISNA news agency reported. Flights across the rest of Iran continued to operate without restrictions on Sunday, but Tehran’s airspace will be fully shut down on Monday during the main funeral procession. According to a schedule announced by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, all regular flights at Mehrabad International Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran will be temporarily suspended on Monday as the final tribute ceremony takes place in the capital. On Tuesday, Mehrabad Airport will resume normal operations, whilst Imam Khomeini International Airport will remain closed. The Iranian government also stated that on 9 July, the airspace over the northeastern city of Mashhad and operations at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport will be completely halted during the peak funeral ceremony. Flights in other parts of Iran will continue as normal on 7 and 8 July, except in Mashhad on the final day of the procession series. Khamenei was killed in a joint United States and Israeli strike against Iran on 28 February. The attack triggered a war lasting several weeks and heightened regional tensions. The series of funeral ceremonies officially began on Friday, attended by heads of state and official delegations from various countries within and outside the region to pay their final respects to Iran’s supreme leader. According to the official schedule, the public tribute procession will be followed by the main funeral procession in Tehran on Monday. The rites will then continue to the city of Qom on 7 July. On 8 July, ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala in Iraq, where the body will be received by religious figures and political officials before being taken to several major Shia holy sites. The final funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled for 9 July at the Imam Reza Shrine Complex in Mashhad, one of the most important Shia holy sites in Iran.