Iran has begun a lengthy funeral ceremony for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in February during coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country. The six-day event, which started Saturday in Tehran and will conclude Thursday with his burial in Mashhad, is expected to draw millions of Iranians.
Khamenei, who led Iran for 36 years, was killed at age 86 in the opening phase of the military strikes. His granddaughter, who was 14 months old, and three other family members also died in the same attack on a government residence in Tehran on February 28.
The funeral has been carefully orchestrated as a display of national resilience and resistance. Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran's first vice-president and lead funeral organizer, called the ceremony "the most important event of this century" and predicted it would be the largest gathering in Iran since the 1979 revolution. Organizers estimate that as many as 30 million people may attend.
Khamenei's coffin was first displayed Friday at an indoor ceremony for families of those killed in the war. The emotion was intense as crowds pushed forward, throwing scarves for attendants to brush against the coffin. His body was then carried across Tehran to the Grand Mosalla mosque, where it lay in state for three days before Friday's official ceremony.
On Friday, Iran's political, judicial, and military leadership paid their respects as the coffin was covered with the sacred flag of the shrine of Imam Husayn. Senior IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaee wept openly, and President Masoud Pezeshkian shed tears during the proceedings.
A collection of foreign dignitaries also attended, though their participation reflected Iran's limited relationships with regional powers. Leaders from Iraq, Pakistan, Armenia, and Tajikistan attended at senior levels, along with twelve heads of parliament mostly from Arab states. No Western leaders were invited. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei criticized European countries, saying they stood on the "wrong side of history" regarding the U.S. and Israeli attacks.
The funeral serves multiple purposes beyond mourning. Iranian leaders used the occasion to reinforce messages of defiance and resistance. General Ahmad Vahidi, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made his first public appearance since February 8, vowing that Iran would never surrender. Other hardline officials spoke of blood vengeance and resistance to Western powers.
Khamenei's body will also be carried through the Iraqi Shia cities of Kerbala and Najaf at the request of Iraqi politicians. The elaborate ceremony is designed to project continuity and national strength during the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel.
A notable absence from the proceedings is Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader's son and successor, who was severely injured in the same strike that killed his father.