Upcoming 'Grand' Funeral for Ayatollah Khamenei Delayed by Protracted Conflict

Iran is reportedly preparing a grand funeral ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader who was killed in an attack by Israel and the United States. The funeral has been delayed for an extended period due to the ongoing war. ‘A dedicated command centre has been established to prepare the funeral ceremony, with various institutions currently planning and making arrangements,’ said Mohsen Mahmoudi, Head of Tehran’s Islamic Propaganda Coordination Council, as reported by Iranian state television cited by detikNews on 30 May 2026. The funeral date remains unknown. Ayatollah Khamenei led the Islamic Republic for over three decades and died in the first wave of US-Israel attacks on 28 February. His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, was also injured in the attack and has not been seen in public since taking office. A tribute event for Khamenei was held in April, but the planned state funeral could not proceed due to the war. Previously, security experts suggested Iranian officials were too fearful to hold a large-scale and lavish funeral for the late Supreme Leader. In 1989, Iran held a multi-day grand funeral for Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, with millions of Iranians flooding Tehran’s streets to attend. Mahmoudi stated that various organisations are working to create the necessary conditions for the late Khamenei’s ‘grand’ funeral ceremony, as the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran continues. A partial ceasefire has been in effect since April, but a definitive resolution to the conflict remains elusive.