TEHRAN, Iran: The Khamenei funeral opened Saturday at the Grand Mosalla, with state television reporting six days of ceremonies for the slain former supreme leader.
Iranian authorities said they expected 15 to 20 million participants in Tehran over three days. Thousands of mourners carried red banners at the Grand Mosalla courtyard.
AFP journalists reported chants of “death to America” and “revenge, revenge” at the venue.
Khamenei ruled Iran from 1989 until his assassination at age 86 on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Massive crowds gathered early on day one of the farewell ceremony for the martyred leader, Ayatollah Khamenei
Public visitation continues for two days at Tehran’s Mosalla, followed by the funeral procession in Tehran on the third day. pic.twitter.com/087yQW52Zo
— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) July 4, 2026The ceremonies will draw scrutiny for any public appearance by Mojtaba Khamenei. He was named the supreme leader one week after his father’s killing, but has not appeared in public.
The coffin will lie in state until Monday. A procession will then pass through Tehran before the coffin moves to Qom on Tuesday.
Read: Khamenei’s Spiritual Legacy Highlighted by Alexander Dugin, Yemeni Writer
The funeral route will continue to Shia holy cities in Iraq on Wednesday before burial in Mashhad on Thursday.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf urged Iranians to turn out in large numbers.
Army chief Amir Hatami said Israel and the United States would “pay” for the blood of Khamenei and other Iranians killed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev attended Friday’s paying of respects. Hamas, Hezbollah and Afghanistan’s Taliban government also sent representatives.
Authorities blocked roads and expected airspace closures as Tehran prepared for the largest public event in Iran since Ruhollah Khomeini’s burial in 1989.
