Iran plans week-long mass mourning events for Khamenei funeral

DUBAI: Iran is preparing several days of public mourning and funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with events planned in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad and Iraq, according to details reported on Thursday.

The former supreme leader was killed in US and Israeli strikes in the opening attack of the war, and the funeral rites are due to start over the weekend in Tehran. Iranian authorities are presenting the ceremonies as both an expression of public devotion and a demonstration that the country’s revolutionary spirit remains intact.

Qom prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi told state media that the expected turnout would carry political significance.

"The large public turnout at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in effect, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic,"

Khamenei’s death in what Iran describes as an enemy attack has also been framed within the Shia tradition of martyrdom and mourning. Black funeral banners have been placed across city streets since his death, and mourning gatherings have invoked the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (RA). The current Islamic month of Muharram marks the anniversary of the imam’s martyrdom.

Funeral schedule and arrangements

Officials and foreign dignitaries, including representatives from Russia and China, are expected to offer condolences at events on Friday. On Saturday, Khamenei’s remains are to be taken to a mosque in Tehran for the opening stage of a nationwide funeral tour.

The bodies of his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, along with the widow of the new leader, his son Mojtaba, who were all killed in the same strike, will be carried alongside his remains. On Thursday, workers in Tehran were putting up fresh posters backing the new leader Mojtaba, featuring images of the late Khamenei and a raised revolutionary fist in the background.

Authorities have also put logistical measures in place for the expected crowds. Hotels are offering discounts of 50 per cent, while schools, mosques and sports halls have been readied to accommodate mourners. Bus and rail services are also being redirected to support travel to the main events.

After a large procession scheduled in central Tehran on Monday, the remains will be taken to Qom on Tuesday for ceremonies in the seminary city, which is regarded as the centre of Iran’s clerical hierarchy. Ceremonies are then planned for Wednesday in the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, with prominent attendees expected. Khamenei is to be buried on Thursday in Mashhad, near the tomb of Imam Reza, after another procession there.