Millions mourn Iran’s Ali Khamenei amid historic funeral procession

In PicturesSaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA mourner holds a portrait of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the opening of days-long funeral ceremonies for Khamenei and members of his family, at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran [Altaf Qadri/AP Photo]By AFP, AP and ReutersPublished On 4 Jul 20264 Jul 2026Hundreds of thousands of people have poured into Tehran, with millions expected to attend a week of funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.The days-long memorial has turned the capital into the centre of a historic farewell that officials say will draw more than 10 million mourners from across the country and abroad.Crowds jammed major avenues and the vast Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque on Saturday as mourners, many dressed in black and waving flags, gathered to view the coffin of the 86-year-old leader, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack at the outset of the war on Iran in February.The bodies of several members of his family killed in the same strike, including his three-year-old granddaughter, are being honoured alongside him.Authorities have opened more than 5,000 schools and tens of thousands of classrooms nationwide to accommodate pilgrims travelling to the capital. The Iranian supreme leader is a significant spiritual figure for the world’s Shia community.Delegations from more than 100 countries also attended ceremonies reserved for foreign dignitaries on Friday, underscoring the regional and international stakes of the transition in Tehran.The funeral programme stretches over six days, with successive ceremonies in Tehran through Monday before moving to the holy city of Qom, then to Iraq, and finally to the northeastern city of Mashhad for burial.Analysts say the timing – in the first 10 days of the Muslim month of Muharram and coinciding with the United States’ Independence Day – is laden with symbolism, framing Khamenei’s death within a Shia narrative of martyrdom and signalling continuity in Iran’s confrontational regional posture even after his successor and son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, assumes full authority.Millions of Iranians are expected in Tehran as the body of Ali Khamenei arrives in the capital for a multi-day funeral. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]From dawn, black-clad crowds stream into main boulevards and the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque, clutching flags, Qurans and portraits of the 86-year-old leader. [Atta Kenare/AFP]Coffins of Iran’s late supreme leader and his family members, draped in Iranian flags, are placed on stage as people gather for a public farewell ceremony to pay their respects. [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli attack at the outset of the war on Iran in February, and officials say more than 10 million mourners could attend ceremonies nationwide. [Altaf Qadri/AP Photo]Authorities have opened thousands of schools and classrooms as makeshift rest areas for pilgrims travelling overnight from distant provinces to pay their final respects. [Murad Sezer/Reuters]Mourners carry the coffin of Zahra Haddad Adel, wife of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, during her funeral in Tehran. Zahra, the daughter of former parliament speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, was killed on February 28 in US-Israeli attacks that also killed ex-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. [Fars news agency via AFP]Security forces fan out across major squares and junctions, setting up checkpoints and guiding the tightly packed crowds in an attempt to keep the vast procession orderly. [Atta Kenare/AFP]Banners invoking martyrdom and resistance hang from overpasses and lampposts, tying Khamenei’s death to Shia narratives of sacrifice during the first 10 days of Muharram. [Murad Sezer /Reuters]Men, women and children carry Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei, chanting slogans as loudspeakers broadcast Quran recitations and elegies. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]For many in the mourning crowds, Khamenei’s death marks the end of an era, even as his successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei, pledges to maintain Iran’s confrontational regional posture. [Altaf Qadri/AP Photo]