Iran opens dayslong funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran
Mourners gathered in Tehran after the late supreme leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike at the start of the war, the AP reported.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Iran began several days of funeral ceremonies Saturday for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the late supreme leader killed months ago in an Israeli airstrike, according to The Associated Press. The mourning period gives Iran’s government a major public stage as it faces war-related tensions with Israel and negotiations involving the United States.
Khamenei was 86 when he was killed Feb. 28 at the start of the Iran war, the AP reported. Authorities displayed his casket inside a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, where crowds gathered to pay respects.
Some mourners cried and chanted calls for revenge, according to the AP. Others carried flags and banners, while billboards around the capital showed Khamenei’s image.
The AP reported that groups of men beat their chests in a Shiite mourning ritual. “I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” Hananeh Mousavi, 27, told the AP as she attended with her mother. “I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy.”
Caskets displayed at the Grand Mosalla
The funeral site included an outdoor stage made to resemble the area where Khamenei delivered speeches at a husseiniyah inside his Tehran compound, the AP reported. That compound was destroyed in the Israeli strike that killed Khamenei and some members of his family.
The caskets of those family members were placed below Khamenei’s, according to the AP. His coffin carried his black turban, marking him as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Iranian authorities expect millions of people to join the mourning in Tehran, in scenes the AP compared with the 1989 burial of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Organizers sprayed water and distributed cold drinks as crowds dealt with summer heat.
Ali Kazemi, who traveled from Tabriz, about 330 miles northwest of Tehran, told the AP he came to show commitment to defending Iran and religion. The AP reported that a large turnout could strengthen the government’s position as it seeks leverage through its control of the Strait of Hormuz in talks with Washington over a permanent end to the war.
Funeral begins on U.S. anniversary
Iran started the ceremonies on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States, the AP reported. Iranian authorities did not comment on the timing, but crowds in Tehran chanted “Death to America,” a slogan used in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump referred to Iran during a speech in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore, according to the AP. “We knocked the hell out of Iran,” Trump said. “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral.”
The AP reported that some mourners at the Grand Mosalla held a large flag reading “#KillTrump.” Authorities have closed streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran during the mourning period.
Khamenei’s body is expected to be taken to cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq, according to the AP. It remains unclear whether Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader and Khamenei’s son, will appear at the funeral.
The AP reported that Mojtaba Khamenei’s late wife was among those whose remains were displayed at the Grand Mosalla. After repeated Israeli threats to kill him, Iran’s joint military command warned Israel and the United States on Thursday “to avoid any miscalculation” in the coming days, according to the AP.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.