Khamenei funeral procession begins in Tehran as authorities brace for huge crowds

TEHRAN: The funeral procession for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on Monday, with state television reporting that authorities were preparing for turnout that could approach the scale of the crowds seen at the funeral of his predecessor nearly four decades ago.

The ceremonies come as Iran seeks to present an image of continuity after five weeks of war with the United States and Israel. Attention has also remained on Khamenei's successor, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since assuming power.

State broadcaster IRIB said Khamenei's body began moving through the capital after lying in state for two days at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex. Khamenei was assassinated on the first day of the Middle East war on February 28. State media said mourners gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hung an effigy of US President Donald Trump.

Authorities are trying to avoid a repeat of the disorder that marked the 1989 funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. State news agency IRNA said that funeral drew an estimated 10 million people. Crowd surges at the time killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000. Officials are mindful that Khomeini had to be transported by helicopter for burial after mourners overwhelmed his vehicle, tearing his burial shroud and causing his body to fall to the ground.

Thousands had gathered at the Grand Mosalla on Sunday to pay respects to Khamenei and four members of his family, all reported killed on February 28 in Israeli airstrikes based on US intelligence. Massive concrete barriers had been placed between the public and the coffin to reduce the risk of stampedes.

Mojtaba remains out of public view

Monday's procession is to be followed by ceremonies in Qom on Tuesday and in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, before Khamenei is buried in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.

Three of Ali Khamenei's sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral on Sunday, underscoring the continued absence of Mojtaba Khamenei. Officials have said he was wounded in the February 28 airstrikes, though the extent of those injuries remains unclear.

The new commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi, whose predecessor was assassinated on February 28, was seen at the funerals again on Sunday and this time appeared in the open air after not being seen throughout the war. Esmail Qaani, who heads the Guards' Quds Force and oversees its foreign operations, also made a rare appearance.

While authorities have sought to display unity, none of President Masoud Pezeshkian's surviving predecessors, whose ties with Khamenei had been strained, had so far been seen at the ceremonies.

Calls for retaliation at the ceremonies

The government is also seeking to highlight mass mobilisation behind the authorities after protests in January that rights groups said were suppressed in a crackdown that killed thousands of people.

The Middle East war is currently paused under a ceasefire and an initial accord with the United States, though both Tehran and Washington have warned they are prepared to resume military action. Calls for revenge featured prominently at the funeral gatherings.

A mourner identified only by the surname Miremadi spoke to AFP at Sunday's prayers.