TEHRAN: Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on the first day of the Middle East conflict, officially began on Saturday, according to state television.
The ceremonies, attended by thousands of mourners, are being presented as a demonstration of national unity and strength in the face of the Islamic republic’s adversaries.
Iranian authorities said they expect between 15 and 20 million people to participate in funeral events in Tehran alone over the next three days. The ceremonies are part of a six-day mourning period honouring Khamenei, who led Iran as supreme leader from 1989 until his assassination at the age of 86 on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.
The funeral proceedings are also being closely watched for any public appearance by Khamenei’s son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Although he was named supreme leader a week after his father’s assassination, he has not yet appeared in public.
Thousands of mourners carrying red banners gathered at Tehran’s sprawling Grand Mosalla religious complex, awaiting the arrival of Khamenei’s coffin. Chants of “Death to America” and “Revenge, revenge” echoed through the venue as supporters expressed their grief and defiance.
“We came to the funeral because we promised the supreme leader we would stand by him to the very end,” said 37-year-old university professor Reza, who gave only one name, while speaking to AFP. “For a long time, we shouted that we would sacrifice our lives for the leader, but it was he who sacrificed himself for us.”
Another mourner, Javad Akbari, a 43-year-old food-processing plant worker, told AFP that he had never had the opportunity to see Khamenei in person and regretted it. “Today, I have come to bid him a final farewell,” he said.
An AFP journalist reported that many mourners walked several kilometres to reach the Grand Mosalla, where hundreds of supporters had begun gathering on Friday evening. “We want to say a final goodbye to our leader, which is why waiting like this isn’t painful or difficult for us,” mourner Somayye Hamedi said.
Authorities imposed extensive security measures for the ceremonies, blocking roads and preparing to close Iranian airspace. The funeral is expected to be the country’s largest public gathering since the burial of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
Khamenei’s coffin will remain in state until Monday, when a funeral procession will move through Tehran. On Tuesday, it will be taken to the clerical city of Qom before travelling on Wednesday to holy Shia cities in neighbouring Iraq. The final burial is scheduled for Thursday in Khamenei’s hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
Senior Iranian officials who survived the recent conflict paid their respects on Friday, displaying a united front. Parliament Speaker and Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, was visibly emotional during the ceremonies.
Among those attending were Ahmad Vahidi, who was appointed commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after his predecessor was killed in the same strikes that claimed Khamenei’s life. Vahidi had not been seen publicly since the attacks.
The coming days are expected to be closely watched for any appearance by Mojtaba Khamenei, who has communicated only through written statements since succeeding his father. Reports suggest he was wounded in the same strikes, although the extent of his injuries has never been officially disclosed.
Several members of Khamenei’s family who were also killed in the strikes will be buried during the funeral period, including his infant granddaughter.
A number of foreign dignitaries attended the ceremonies on Friday to pay their respects. They included Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has been mediating between Iran and the United States, and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, currently deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, representing President Vladimir Putin.
Representatives of Hamas, Hezbollah and Afghanistan’s Taliban government were also present.
Although the Middle East conflict has been paused following an initial understanding between Iran and the United States after five weeks of fighting, Iranian officials warned that Tehran remains prepared to resume military action if necessary.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared, urging citizens to participate in large numbers.
Army Chief Amir Hatami vowed that Israel and the United States “will pay for the blood of the martyred leader and all the nation’s martyrs.”
At the same time, authorities are seeking to ensure the ceremonies proceed safely, mindful of the deadly crowd crushes that have occurred during similar events in the past. State television broadcast public safety guidelines for attendees.
With temperatures expected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius in Tehran over the coming days, water tankers have been deployed to spray roads and help cool the large crowds.
Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran appeared noticeably quieter than usual, with many of the capital’s normally congested streets free of their typical heavy traffic.