Khamenei's coffin reaches Azadi Square for final public farewell

Iran is preparing for another massive public gathering on Monday (July 6) as the coffin of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is taken to Tehran's iconic Azadi Square, where millions are expected to pay their final respects in one of the largest mourning events in the country's history.

According to Al Jazeera, Khamenei's coffin will be carried from Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where funeral prayers attended by millions were held on Sunday, to Azadi Square for a public farewell ceremony.

The Guardian reported that a several-mile-long funeral procession will move through the Iranian capital from Imam Hussein Square to Azadi Square, with authorities expecting an enormous turnout as mourners line the route to honor the late leader.

Azadi Square, one of the most symbolic landmarks of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, is expected to become the focal point of national mourning, underscoring Khamenei's nearly four decades at the helm of the Islamic Republic.

Following Monday's procession, Khamenei's coffin will be taken to the holy city of Qom on Tuesday before traveling to neighboring Iraq on Wednesday. Funeral processions and memorial ceremonies are scheduled in the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, where thousands are expected to pay tribute.

The body will then be returned to Mashhad, Khamenei's birthplace in northeastern Iran, where he is scheduled to be laid to rest on Thursday.

Al Jazeera also reported that the elaborate funeral ceremonies are intended not only to honour the late leader but also to project political continuity and institutional stability following his death. Iranian authorities are seeking to demonstrate that the state structures built during Khamenei's leadership remain intact and that the transition of power is proceeding without disruption.

Khamenei, 86, was killed along with several members of his family during the opening day of a joint US-Israeli military strike on Iran on February 28. Owing to the conflict, his state funeral and burial were delayed for more than four months before officially beginning last Friday. Iran has declared Sunday and Monday public holidays to mark the funeral and national mourning ceremonies.