Iran commenced a multi-day funeral on Saturday for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several months after he was killed by an airstrike at the outset of the war. He was 86 years old.
Authorities displayed the casket containing Khamenei’s remains in a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, Iran's capital. Mourners wept upon seeing it, with some chanting: “Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!”
Some attendees carried banners and flags, while billboards across the city featured Khamenei’s image. Crowds of men rhythmically beat their chests in mourning, a customary practice at Shiite funerals.
“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” stated a weeping 27-year-old Hananeh Mousavi, who attended the funeral with her mother. “I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy.”
Coffins on Display at Grand Mosalla
An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the platform where Khamenei previously delivered speeches at a husseiniyah in his downtown Tehran compound. That location was destroyed during the Israeli airstrike that killed Khamenei and some of his family members at the start of the Iran war on February 28. The caskets of his deceased family members were placed beneath his, which bore a black turban indicating he was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Iran’s government anticipates millions will take to the streets of the capital in scenes comparable to the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Organizers sprayed water on the crowds and provided cold drinks to mitigate the summer heat.
“We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion,” said Ali Kazemi, who traveled from Tabriz, a city in northwestern Iran located approximately 530 kilometers (330 miles) from Tehran.
A significant turnout could benefit Iran’s government, especially as it seeks to leverage its control over the Strait of Hormuz during negotiations with the United States for a permanent end to the war, amid lingering concerns about potential further Israeli attacks.
Funeral Begins as US Marks 250th Anniversary
Iran selected July 4, the 250th anniversary of the U.S. creation, to commence the funeral. Although authorities did not comment on the timing, crowds at the Tehran ceremony chanted: “Death to America!”—a cry common in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent U.S. Embassy takeover and hostage crisis.
“We knocked the hell out of Iran,” U.S. President Donald Trump asserted during a speech in South Dakota near Mount Rushmore at the same time. “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral.”
The American president was not overlooked in Tehran. Several mourners in the Grand Mosalla crowd held a large flag bearing the inscription: “#KillTrump.”
Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities within Iran and neighboring Iraq. Authorities have imposed closures on streets, airspace, and daily life throughout Tehran for the mourning period.
It remains uncertain whether Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, will attend his father’s funeral. The late supreme leader attended Khomeini’s 1989 funeral, visibly weeping, as he began his tenure leading Iran with a firm hand while confronting the West. Mojtaba Khamenei’s late wife was among those displayed at the Grand Mosalla.
Israel’s repeated threats against Mojtaba Khamenei prompted a warning from Iran's joint military command on Thursday, advising Israel and the U.S. “to avoid any miscalculation” in the coming days.