Khamenei's funeral begins, Iran united in grief

Khamenei's funeral begins, Iran united in grief

The funeral process for Ayatollah Sayyed Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader for over 36 years who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike, has begun. His body has been taken to the Grand Mosalla Mosque in Tehran, where dignitaries and religious figures from around the world are paying their respects.

According to a report by Iran's semi-official Mehr News on Friday, July 3, Khamenei's body was brought to the Grand Mosalla in the early morning. A two-day ceremony has been arranged for the public to pay their respects.

Among the first foreign guests to pay tribute were religious scholars and cultural figures from Indonesia and Afghanistan. Representatives of Iran's recognised religious minorities also attended.

Iranian officials have said the funeral process is expected to draw large crowds of foreign dignitaries and millions of people. Officials expect up to 2 crore people to attend, making it the largest funeral in the country's history.

The funeral ceremony will conclude with his burial at the Imam Reza Shrine in his hometown of Mashhad.

Due to the ongoing war situation, the funeral process was initially delayed. Large processions are planned for Qom and Mashhad next week, along with various programmes in Iraqi cities.

IRGC commander General Ahmad Vahidi, who had been in hiding for a long time, has emerged publicly during the funeral preparations. He was seen sitting near Khamenei's coffin at a small gathering at the late leader's old home in Tehran on Thursday night. This was his first public appearance since February 8.

Experts believe Vahidi is now playing a major role in negotiations to permanently end the war with the US. It is believed he is a close associate of the new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in the February 28 US-Israeli strikes and remains in hiding.

On February 28, at the start of the war, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed along with several family members in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Many top Iranian officials were also killed in the same attack.