Iran has launched week-long funeral ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with heightened security, large public gatherings and delegations from nearly 100 countries, including India.
Mourners gathered in Tehran ahead of the week-long funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Photo: Reuters via ANI)
Huge crowds gathered across Tehran on Friday as Iran prepared to begin the funeral ceremonies of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with authorities mounting an extensive security operation ahead of events expected to draw dignitaries from around the world.
The ceremonies, scheduled from July 4 to July 9, will extend across several cities in Iran and Iraq. Iranian officials say representatives from nearly 100 countries are expected to attend, underscoring the diplomatic significance of the event alongside its religious importance.
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Thousands of mourners dressed in black filled streets in the Iranian capital, carrying national flags and portraits of the late leader while chanting ceremonial hymns.
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Visuals released ahead of the funeral showed Khamenei’s casket placed inside a room decorated in Iran’s national colours. Draped over the coffin was the sacred red flag from the shrine of Imam Hussein, which the Iranian government described as a symbol of “resistance, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion to truth.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on people from all sections of society to participate in the funeral procession and present a united front.
“This martyrdom is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new chapter of national unity, resilience, and progress,” Pezeshkian said. He added that “this system rests on the firm foundations of faith, ideals, and the will of a great nation.”
Authorities have significantly strengthened security arrangements for what is expected to be one of the country’s largest deployments for a public event.
Gholamhossein Mozaffari, Governor of Razavi Khorasan Province, where the burial will take place, said aviation assets could be used to monitor crowd movement.
According to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, identified as the representative in India of Iran’s current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the latter will not attend his father’s funeral because of security concerns.
The heightened security comes amid continued regional tensions.
Responding to concerns over the security environment, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said any threat against the country’s current leadership would invite an immediate and forceful response.
Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, also warned against any hostile action during the mourning period.
“We warn the enemies of a strong Iran… to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh and regret-inducing responses of the sons of the Iranian nation in the Armed Forces to any threat or aggression,” he said.
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The multi-day ceremonies will be held in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, as well as the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala.
According to the source material, the funeral comes more than four months after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in an air strike on February 28 during the conflict involving US and Israeli forces.
Counterterrorism specialist Dr. Mohammed Omar told Fox News Digital that the remains were most likely preserved in refrigerated cold storage instead of through embalming.
“The mechanism is almost certainly refrigerated cold storage, not embalming, as Islam bars chemical embalming,” he said.
He added that, “Shia law allows delayed burial and preservation by cold in exceptional cases, and a clerical exemption for a Supreme Leader is easy to get.”
“Iran’s forensic morgues already hold bodies for months, so four months in freezing is not exotic. That is what ‘religious and legal standards’ cover,” Omar said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran expects guests from around 100 countries, including heads of government, parliamentary speakers, foreign ministers, special envoys and political delegations.
India is sending an official delegation to attend the funeral.
According to the government, Bihar Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita will visit Iran on July 3 to represent India at the ceremony.
Other announced attendees include Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and He Wei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress. Senior officials from the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, including the Deputy Prime Minister and the Acting Foreign Minister, are also expected to participate.
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