Thousands gather in Tehran for farewell to slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

TEHRAN: Thousands of mourners gathered in the Iranian capital early on Saturday for a public farewell ceremony for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with chants of revenge rising from the crowd as his coffin was placed at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla.

Khamenei, who led Iran for more than three decades, was killed in US-Israeli attacks on February 28 that triggered a regional war. At the ceremony, mourners beat their chests and moved through tight security arrangements toward the courtyard where the coffin had been placed for people to pay their respects.

A eulogist at the gathering called for retaliation.

"We have come not for the funeral but for revenge," the eulogist said, adding “We’re never going to give up your blood, which is the reddest line.”

The coffin, draped in the Iranian flag, was brought into view on a stage from behind dark blue velvet curtains following Quran recitations. It was positioned on a raised platform alongside the coffins of members of Khamenei’s family who were also killed in the US-Israeli attack.

Some mourners were seen in tears as they made their way into the venue. Water was also sprayed on people attending the ceremony, according to images carried with the report. One Reuters photograph from the event showed a child holding an image of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during the public farewell.

Among those in attendance was 18-year-old student Hamidreza Shabani, who told AFP that the crowd viewed the gathering as part of a wider response to Khamenei’s killing.

"We must rise up and, God willing, avenge the blood of our leader”, he said.

Public farewell in Tehran

The ceremony took place at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran on July 4, 2026, where large crowds were pictured reacting as the farewell began. Images from Reuters and AFP showed mourners assembled around the coffins at the start of the funeral rites.

the event as a final farewell for Khamenei, whose body was placed for public viewing as mourners continued to gather at the religious complex under heavy security.