Massive Crowds Attend Funeral of Iran's Late Supreme Leader
Huge crowds have gathered along the streets of Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war with the US and Israel.
Footage broadcast by Iranian state television showed tens of thousands of mourners assembled to witness Khamenei's flag-draped coffin being transported by a lorry along a 10km (6-mile) route passing through the capital's notable Enghelab Square.
The procession occurred after Khamenei's body lay in state for two days at Tehran's Grand Mosalla mosque.
Three of Khamenei's sons prayed beside his coffin on Sunday. However, Mojtaba, the son who succeeded him as supreme leader, was absent. He has not appeared publicly since reporting serious injuries sustained in the same Israeli air strike in Tehran on 28 February that killed his father and his wife.
Funeral Procession and Public Mourning
Khamenei's funeral procession slowly moved through central Tehran, from Imam Hossein Square in the east to Azadi Square in the west, marking the final day of three days of public mourning in the capital.
State media reported that millions of mourners filled the main boulevards connecting the squares and crowded around the black lorry carrying the coffin of the late supreme leader and four family members.
Many attendees waved Iranian flags and red banners symbolizing vengeance.
Placards displayed messages such as "We must rise" and others called for the death of US President Donald Trump, who, along with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered a joint attack on Iran four months ago that initiated a war resulting in thousands of deaths.
Mourners were also seen throwing stones at a billboard featuring Trump's face hung from a bridge, which bore the message,
"The US killed our father. We won't let you go!"
Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reported by local media to have attended the procession. This appeared to be his first major public appearance since the war began, during which three of his bodyguards were reportedly killed in a strike near his residence.
Iran's current president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was also filmed walking among mourners on a Tehran street.
Earlier, Pezeshkian wrote on X that Khamenei had taught everyone in Iran that the country's
"greatest asset" was "its people and their unity". He pledged that Iranians would
"continue the path of Iran's honour, progress, and glory".
Reactions and Regional Context
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Khamenei was
"eliminated by Israel"because he had threatened Israel's existence. He added,
"Any Iranian leader who will again try to pursue plans to destroy Israel will be killed as well."
The funeral ceremonies are occurring less than three weeks after Iran and the US signed a preliminary agreement to end the war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, through which 20% of global oil and gas shipments pass.
The two countries also agreed to a two-month period to reach a final deal covering Iran's nuclear programme, US sanctions, and a permanent truce.
Mediator Qatar reported that Iranian and US negotiators made
"positive progress"during indirect talks in Doha last week following a four-day exchange of strikes, and that their next meeting would be scheduled after the conclusion of the events for Khamenei.
Upcoming Funeral Ceremonies
On Tuesday, a funeral procession and prayers will be held in the central city of Qom, the centre of Iran's Shia Muslim clerical establishment.
The ceremonies will then move to the Iraqi shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf on Wednesday.
The events will conclude on Thursday with Khamenei's burial at the Imam Reza shrine in his hometown of Mashhad, located in north-eastern Iran.
