Huge crowds gather in Tehran for first day of Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral
Thousands of mourners clad in black have gathered outside Tehran's main mosque to pay last respects to former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in US and Israeli strikes in February. Authorities expect 15-20 million people to attend ceremonies across Iran and Iraq over the coming days.
Massive turnout in Tehran
On the first day of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral, large crowds of black-clad mourners gathered outside Tehran's main mosque to honor the former supreme leader. Khamenei's body is lying in state at the Grand Mosalla ahead of his burial in his hometown of Mashhad next Thursday.
Authorities estimate that 15 to 20 million people will attend ceremonies across Iran and Iraq in the coming days. The funeral takes place more than four months after Khamenei was killed in joint US and Israeli strikes in late February, which quickly escalated into a wider regional conflict.
Chants of revenge and anti-US slogans
On Saturday morning, masses of supporters of the Islamic regime turned out, reportedly chanting slogans against the United States and calling for revenge for the ayatollah's killing. "We came [to the funeral] because we promised the supreme leader we would stand by him to the very end," 37-year-old professor Reza told AFP in the Grand Mosalla's courtyard. "For a long time, we shouted that we would sacrifice our lives for the leader, but it was he who sacrificed himself for us."
Arash Rahimi, 40, told Reuters: "Everyone here has come to avenge the blood of their supreme leader. As our leader has said, we have a blood feud with the United States. Our relations with the United States will never be good."
Security lockdown and ceremonial schedule
Much of central Tehran will be locked down over the weekend as the funeral gets under way. It is expected to be the largest funeral ever in terms of attendees as a proportion of the country's population. Khamenei's body will lie in the Grand Mosalla for three days, alongside the remains of family members also killed in the air strikes.
There will then be three further days of events outside the capital. On Tuesday, the body will be moved to Qom, south of Tehran, where a senior Shia cleric will lead funeral prayers at Jamkaran, one of Iran's most prominent religious sites. On Wednesday, it will travel to Najaf in Iraq, with a procession at the shrine of Imam Ali, and ceremonies will continue in Karbala before returning to Iran.
On Thursday, Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, the mausoleum of Shia Islam's eighth imam and Iran's most important pilgrimage site. Ceremonies beyond the six-day procession will continue across the country for the following 40 days, with commemorative events planned until the first anniversary of his burial.
Successor yet to appear publicly
Khamenei was succeeded as supreme leader by his son, Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since assuming the role, prompting speculation about his health. Whether he will appear at the funeral remains a key question surrounding the carefully choreographed ceremony.
