Iran War Funeral Processions Begin in Tehran for Slain Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran has begun a week of funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the recent Middle East conflict, with his body lying in state in Tehran amid heightened security concerns during the Iran war. [2]

Khamenei's Death and Funeral Arrangements

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the recent Middle East conflict. [1] His 37-year reign ended in February by the first airstrike of the war. [2] Under Islamic tradition, burials are typically conducted within a day of death, but Khamenei's funeral was postponed because of security concerns over holding a large public gathering during the conflict. [1] The ceremonies were scheduled after last month's interim truce was reached. [1] Khamenei's body lay in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla ahead of funeral ceremonies. [1] Following a funeral procession in central Tehran on Monday, Khamenei's remains will be taken to the seminary city of Qom for ceremonies on Tuesday. [1] Further commemorations are scheduled for Wednesday in the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala. [1] Khamenei is scheduled to be buried on Thursday in Mashhad, near the shrine of Imam Reza, after a final funeral procession. [1] The body will travel from Tehran to Qom, then Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, before burial on Thursday in Mashhad. [2]

Lying in State and Mourning Ceremonies in Tehran

The body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lay in state in a vast hall in Tehran on Friday as clerics, officials, foreign dignitaries and other mourners paid their respects. [2] Iran's slain supreme leader was lying in state in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex at the start of week-long funeral ceremonies across the country. [4] Images from Tehran showed mourners carrying Khamenei's coffin, draped in Iran's tricolour flag, into the Grand Mosalla. [1] At a pre-funeral ceremony, crowds dressed in black gathered as the coffin was placed before a backdrop of red flowers and suspended white butterfly decorations. [1] State television broadcast footage of President Masoud Pezeshkian paying his respects alongside Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. [1] Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday paid his respects at the remains of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside other officials, including the country's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. [4] Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, Iranian military commander Mohsen Rezaee and Head of Judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei attend a farewell ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran. [4] His coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd. [2] On Friday the coffin — and those of family members killed with him — was laid in state in the great prayer hall built to honour his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. [2]

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lies in state in Tehran during funeral ceremonies. — Source: cyprusmail

Security Measures and Leadership Absences

Iran has heightened security ahead of the funeral ceremony, where millions of mourners and several foreign dignitaries are expected to gather, amid concerns over potential attacks. [1] The large public gathering has raised security concerns, with senior Iranian leaders expected to attend the ceremony. [1] On Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned against any attempts to target the country in the coming days ahead of the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. [1] The warning came days after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been "marked for death", according to comments reported by Israeli news agency Ynet on Monday. [1] Iran's Civil Aviation Organization also said on Friday that the airspace over Tehran will be "completely closed" on Monday to facilitate the funeral procession of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. [1] Mojtaba Khamenei's absence draws attention as Iran bids farewell to Ali Khamenei. [1] The absence of Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei from the funeral of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, drew attention on Friday as the country's political and military leadership gathered to pay their respects. [1] Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, was absent from the funeral events after being wounded in the strike that killed his father, and has not been seen publicly since. [2] Ahmad Vahidi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, also attended the ceremony, marking his first public appearance since the outbreak of the conflict in February. [1] Among them was the new Revolutionary Guards head Ahmad Vahidi, having not appeared in public since his appointment for fear of assassination. [2]

Mobilization of Mourners and Logistical Preparations

Authorities aim to mobilise millions of people for the big processions over the coming days, offering transport, food and lodging to buoy the numbers. [2] Over 20 million people are estimated to arrive in Tehran for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. [3] Authorities have announced arrangements to accommodate the expected influx of mourners, with hotels offering 50 per cent discounts and schools, mosques and sports halls being prepared to provide accommodation. [1] Bus and rail services have also been rerouted to facilitate travel to the funeral events. [1] Hotels are offering 50% discounts, schools, mosques and sports halls have been prepared to house mourners, and bus and rail networks are being diverted to serve the main events. [2] Iran's chief negotiator called for a large public turnout, saying it would be a way to avenge Khamenei's death. [1] But nearly five decades after the 1979 revolution, and for all the official proclamations of national unity in the run-up to Khamenei’s funeral, the Islamic Republic has rarely been so internally fractured. [2] Support for the clerical leadership is paper thin, analysts say. [2] Years of crippling sanctions have paralysed the economy as accelerating bouts of mass nationwide protests have been put down by security forces with increasing force — culminating in the killing of thousands of demonstrators in January. [2] Those deep problems have been brushed aside this week, with the authorities mounting a display of state power and mass support. [2] Tehran streets were tightly controlled, with military and police vehicles lining the major roads and police and members of the black-shirted volunteer Basij paramilitary force patrolling on motorbikes. [2]

Mourners gather in Tehran as Iran begins funeral processions for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. — Source: thenewarab

Regional Warnings and Strait of Hormuz in Iran War

Iran warned the United States and Israel against any attacks during the funeral. [2] Iran's military command stated that vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz must adhere to routes designated by the Iranian armed forces or face a "forceful response". [3] Meanwhile, Israel continued to attack southern Lebanon and Gaza. [3] Lebanon’s National News Agency reports Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district and in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa. [3] The funeral is taking place at a critical moment for Iran, where the clerical rulers backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are riding high from surviving what they saw as an existential war against their greatest and most powerful foes. [2]

Burial Schedule and Shi'ite Significance

Khamenei's body was expected to be taken to Qom, Najaf and Kerbala, the great Shi’ite centres of Iran and Iraq, before being laid to rest on Thursday in Mashhad, home to the country’s holiest pilgrim shrine. [2] After what authorities are billing as a massive procession in central Tehran on Monday, the remains will be taken to the seminary city of Qom, the centre of Iran’s Shi’ite hierarchy, for ceremonies on Tuesday. [2] Ceremonies will then be held in Iraq’s shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala on Wednesday, with prominent attendees from Iran’s regional network of Shi’ite proxies. [2] He will be buried on Thursday, after another procession, in Mashhad near the tomb of the Imam Reza, a figure of great devotion in Iran. [2] In Iran’s theocratic system, Khamenei was not only head of state and leader of a revolutionary movement, but the representative on earth for Shi’ite Islam’s 12th imam, who disappeared in the ninth century. [2] His death in an enemy attack plays into a powerful Shi’ite tradition of martyrdom and mourning, in which processions of flagellants beat their chests or backs. [2] That potent symbolism has been evident in the black funeral flags hanging over city streets since his death referencing the seventh-century martyrdom of Shi’ism’s third imam, Hossein. [2] Killed alongside Khamenei, and displayed in coffins next to his, were his daughter, son-in-law and baby granddaughter, as well as the wife of his son Mojtaba. [2] Families of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and senior commander Imad Mughniyeh, close Lebanese allies of Iran killed in Israeli strikes, attended the ceremony. [2] Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese National People’s Congress deputy head He Wei, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iraqi President Nizar Amedi were among the foreign leaders and officials attending. [2]

What to watch next: Ceremonies will begin on Saturday in Tehran and end on 9 July, with the former supreme leader laid to rest in Mashhad, while Israel continued to attack southern Lebanon and Gaza. [3]