Tehran to Fully Close Airspace for Khamenei's Funeral Procession
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Iran will fully close Tehran’s airspace on Monday as part of the arrangements for the funeral procession of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports from the ISNA news agency.
Flights throughout Iran will continue to operate without restrictions on Sunday. However, Tehran’s airspace will be completely closed on Monday during the main funeral procession.
According to the schedule announced by the Civil Aviation Organisation of Iran, all regular flights at Mehrabad International Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran will be temporarily suspended on Monday as the final tribute ceremonies take place in the capital.
On Tuesday, Mehrabad Airport is expected to resume normal operations, while Imam Khomeini International Airport will remain closed.
The Iranian government has also stated that on 9 July, the airspace over the city of Mashhad in north-eastern Iran, along with operations at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport, will be entirely suspended during the peak funeral ceremonies.
Flights in other regions of Iran will continue to operate normally on 7-8 July, except for Mashhad on the final day of the procession series.
Khamenei was killed during a joint United States and Israel attack on Iran on 28 February. The attack triggered a conflict that lasted several weeks and heightened tensions across the region.
The funeral ceremonies officially commenced on Friday, attended by heads of state and official delegations from various regional and international nations to pay their final respects to Iran’s Supreme Leader.
According to the official schedule, the public tribute procession will continue with the main funeral procession in Tehran on Monday. Subsequently, the series of ceremonies will proceed to the city of Qom on 7 July.
On 8 July, ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala, Iraq. The remains will be received by religious leaders and political officials before being transported to several major Shia holy sites.
The funeral ceremonies and final burial are scheduled to take place on 9 July at the Imam Reza Mausoleum Complex in Mashhad, which is one of the primary Shia holy sites in Iran.