UNIPA News(Tehran) 04 July- Iran on Friday intensified preparations for the state funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with authorities expecting millions of mourners to gather in Tehran over the coming days in one of the country’s largest public ceremonies in decades.
State television broadcast images of rallies across several Iranian cities, where supporters of the Islamic Republic gathered in support of the country’s leadership and condemned the United States and Israel. Banners displayed across Tehran called on the public to demonstrate solidarity with the Islamic Republic following the recent war in which Khamenei was killed.
The funeral ceremonies are scheduled to begin on Saturday and are expected to draw senior government officials, military commanders, religious leaders, and foreign dignitaries. Iranian authorities view the event as an opportunity to project national unity following the conflict and amid continuing regional tensions.
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin was placed at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla alongside the coffins of several family members who were killed in the Israeli airstrike that marked the opening of the recent war. Those being honored include a son-in-law, his eldest daughter, a 14-month-old granddaughter, and the wife of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and other senior officials attended memorial ceremonies and paid their respects. Religious figures and foreign representatives also participated in the mourning events.
State media also aired footage from a memorial ceremony held Thursday night, where mourners observed traditional Shiite rituals by presenting scarves and personal items to be touched to the coffin as a sign of blessing.
Later, Khamenei’s coffin was draped with a red flag bearing the inscription “Ya Hussein,” a symbol in Shiite Islam associated with the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and traditionally representing both the memory of those killed unjustly and a call for justice.
The funeral comes as Iran continues to navigate the aftermath of the recent conflict while preparing for further diplomatic engagement over regional security and broader geopolitical issues.
