- Representatives from more than 100 countries are expected to attend the funeral of Ali Khamenei, which starts on Friday, according to Iranian state-linked news broadcaster IRIB.
- Khamenei was killed aged 86 in a joint United States-Israeli air strike on his compound on February 28, the first day of the US-Israel war on Iran.
- The commemoration will begin in Tehran on Friday, and funeral ceremonies and processions will run for seven days, with religious rites planned in cities across Iran and Iraq.
- On Monday and Tuesday, the funeral processions will move southwards towards the Iranian city of Qom.
- On Wednesday, an official reception will be held at Najaf International Airport in Iraq, followed by public processions in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, according to Iranian and Iraqi leaders.
- The body will then return to Iran for the final burial ceremony at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Friday.
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
- Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz will attend Khamenei’s funeral, Ankara has confirmed.
- The proceedings will mark one of the largest public funerals in modern history, its scale and size expected to surpass the 1989 funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew about 10 million mourners.
- Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Gen. Ahmad Vahidi emerged publicly for the first time in months as Tehran prepared for the dayslong funeral for Khamenei.
- Photos published by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran’s theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday night.
Iran is set to hold a monumental funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died at 86 in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike on February 28. The ceremonies will span seven days, featuring processions in Tehran and across Iraq, marking one of the largest public funerals in modern history.12351011
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that over 100 countries will be represented, with notable attendees including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev. The scale of the funeral is expected to surpass the 1989 funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew around 10 million mourners.789
The funeral will commence on Friday at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, followed by processions moving south towards Qom. On Monday and Tuesday, the body will be transported to Iraq, with public ceremonies planned in Najaf and Karbala. The final burial will take place at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on Friday.46
As the nation mourns, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi of Iran's Revolutionary Guard has emerged publicly, indicating the ongoing political dynamics within Iran's leadership amid the turmoil following Khamenei's death.
“Iran is set to hold the funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with representatives from over 100 countries expected to attend. The proceedings are anticipated to be one of the largest public funerals in modern history.”
AP News
