Iran Launches Days of National Mourning for Former Supreme Leader

Iran has begun several days of public mourning and funeral processions for its former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in strikes launched by the United States and Israel.

His body will lie in state in Tehran's Grand Mosalla from Friday, ahead of burial in his hometown of Mashhad the following Thursday. Iranian authorities said between 12 and 20 million people were expected to attend, describing the event as the "funeral of the century."

The ceremonies come as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire following a preliminary deal signed in June to halt their conflict.

Six Days of Ceremonies

Six days of ceremonies were set to begin at 06:00 local time on Saturday at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Mosalla, where visitors could pay their respects until Sunday afternoon. An official funeral ceremony in Tehran on Saturday is being led by the Tehran-based Mohammad Rasulullah Corps.

The group's commander, Hassan Hassanzadeh, said the coffin would be displayed on an elevated platform, with crowd flows designed to allow visitors to enter and leave within 15 to 20 minutes. The body is to lie in the Grand Mosalla for three days, alongside the remains of family members who were also killed in the February strikes.

Authorities ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions were set to close most of the city centre to private vehicles, according to AFP. Airspace over Tehran was to be partially closed from Friday and fully closed on Monday.

Processions Across the Region

On Tuesday, events will move to Qom, just south of Tehran, where a senior Shia cleric is to lead funeral prayers at Jamkaran, one of Iran's most prominent religious sites.

The body is then scheduled to travel to Najaf in Iraq on Wednesday. Following a procession at the shrine of Imam Ali, considered Shia Islam's first imam, ceremonies will continue in Karbala before the body returns to Iran.

Iranian officials said the events in Iraq followed requests from Iraqi groups. Some analysts view them as reflecting Khamenei's influence across the Shia Muslim world and Iran's religious and political ties throughout the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to Baghdad to coordinate the arrangements, saying the funeral carried "symbolic importance."

Burial and Open Questions

On Thursday, Khamenei is to be buried in Mashhad at the Imam Reza Shrine, the mausoleum of Shia Islam's eighth imam and Iran's most important pilgrimage site, which draws millions of visitors each year. Representatives from several countries are expected to attend, including Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Ceremonies are set to continue across the country for 40 days, with commemorative events planned up to the first anniversary of the burial.

Khamenei was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader. A central question surrounding the ceremonies is whether Mojtaba will attend the funeral. Last week, the secretary of the organising committee, Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, said any decision on his attendance would be announced by the offices of the armed forces commander-in-chief and the supreme leader.

Questions also remain over who will lead the funeral prayer, a role that carries both religious and political significance in Shia tradition.

As Iran prepares for one of the largest public gatherings in its recent history, all eyes are on how the ceremonies unfold and what they may signal for the country's future leadership. Share this article to help others follow this developing story.

Source: BBC News – World