The body of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of a state funeral expected to draw millions of mourners and dozens of foreign delegations, according to Iranian state media.
The funeral comes after Khamenei, 86, was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the recent Middle East war. His death has become a defining moment for the Islamic Republic as Iran observes a fragile ceasefire with the United States following a preliminary agreement to halt the conflict.
Images released by state media showed mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin, draped in Iran’s tricolour flag, into the Grand Mosalla, one of the country’s most significant religious and ceremonial venues. Crowds dressed in black gathered for pre-funeral rites as the coffin was placed before red floral displays.
Iranian officials expect between 15 and 20 million people to participate in ceremonies across Tehran and other cities, potentially making it the largest state funeral in the country’s history.
Tehran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, urged Iranians to attend in large numbers.
“All the Iranian people… should write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence,” Ghalibaf said in a statement.
He added: “The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world.”
Preparations intensified across the capital on Friday, with workers decorating the Grand Mosalla while security forces tightened access around the venue.
Roads were closed, traffic restrictions imposed and parts of Tehran’s airspace were shut ahead of Saturday’s ceremony.
“We are planting flowers and watering the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide,” worker Hossein Moghadassi told state media.
“People will come from all over Iran. There will be huge crowds.”
Ahmad Vahidi, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, made his first public appearance since the conflict began, paying his respects beside Khamenei’s coffin.
Iranian authorities said Khamenei’s body will lie in state for three days, alongside the bodies of his slain relatives.
Foreign dignitaries from about 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral. Pakistan said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would be present, while China, Afghanistan and several Caucasus neighbours are also sending official representatives.
Public holidays have been declared in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad during the mourning period, with government offices closed and extensive transport restrictions in place.
After ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before being buried at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, his birthplace.
It remains unclear whether his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since assuming the role of supreme leader, will attend the main funeral ceremony.
