Millions gather as Iran’s former supreme leader Khamenei’s funeral procession begins in Tehran

• The funeral procession for Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei began in Tehran with huge crowds expected, reflecting national resilience after weeks of war with the US and Israel.
• Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, named as the new supreme leader, has not appeared publicly since taking power, with unclear details about his condition after being wounded.
• Funeral events will continue in Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad, emphasising calls for revenge and solidarity amid ongoing tensions and the recent ceasefire in the Middle East conflict.

TEHRAN – Vast crowds gathered for the funeral procession of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on July 6, with the authorities estimating millions were on the streets in numbers that could rival those of his predecessor’s farewell nearly four decades ago.

Vast crowds gathered for the funeral procession of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on July 6, with authorities estimating millions were on the streets in numbers that could rival those of his predecessor’s farewell nearly four decades ago.

The authorities have yet to give an official turnout figure but AFP news agency images showed huge numbers stretching along major boulevards in the Iranian capital.

The ceremonies offer Iran an opportunity to project resilience after five weeks of war with the United States and Israel, while attention remains focused on Khamenei’s successor, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking power.

After lying in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, the body of Khamenei – who was killed on the first day of the Middle East war on Feb 28 – began its journey through the capital accompanied by massive crowds.

Flower petals covered the coffin as it made its way along the streets, AFP images showed.

The authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to state news agency IRNA.

Crowd surges in Khomeini’s funeral killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.

“If I am to compare this ceremony to that one, I can say they are not different at all. But the crowd this time seems more enthusiastic,” said Gholamreza Khanbabaei, 58, attending the procession.

Tehran’s airspace was closed on July 6 as the country stood still to remember the former leader.

Mourners marched through the streets waving the flags of Iran and the Tehran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, as well as red flags symbolising revenge.

Others gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hanged an effigy of US President Donald Trump, according to state media.

Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was seen attending the procession, according to local media.

In sweltering heat, trucks sprayed mourners with water to cool them, while organisers handed out Iranian flags and pictures of Ali and Mojtaba.

The procession route covers around 20km.

Mojtaba absent

Thousands had filled the Grand Mosalla on July 5 to pay their respects to Khamenei and his four family members, all killed on Feb 28 in Israeli air strikes based on US intelligence.

Massive concrete walls at the complex separated the public from the coffin to prevent stampedes.

It is unclear what level of access and proximity the public will have during the July 6 procession, but the authorities are mindful that in 1989 they were forced to use a helicopter to transport Khomeini for burial after mourners stormed his vehicle, causing his burial shroud to tear and his body to fall to the ground.

The July 6 procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on July 7 and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on July 8, culminating in Khamenei’s burial in his home town of Mashhad in north-eastern Iran on July 9.

Three of Ali Khamenei’s sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral on July 5, further highlighting the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named supreme leader shortly after his father’s killing but has yet to appear in public.

Officials have said he was wounded in the air strikes, but the severity of his injuries remains unclear.

The new commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi, whose predecessor was killed on Feb 28, appeared at the funerals for a second time on July 5, this time in the open air, after he went unseen throughout the war.

Esmail Qaani, the shadowy head of the Guards’ Quds Force – responsible for its foreign operations – also made a rare appearance.

‘Demand revenge’

The government is also eager to tout the mass mobilisation in support of the authorities after mass protests in January that rights groups say were quelled by a crackdown that killed thousands of people.

The Middle East war is on hold following a ceasefire and an initial accord struck with the US. Both Washington and Tehran have warned they are ready to resume military action, and vengeance has been a major theme at the funerals.

Khamenei long pursued a course of confrontation with the West, and Tehran for years has provided support to anti-US and anti-Israel armed groups around the Middle East, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, who both sent delegations to the ceremonies.

Some of Khamenei’s supporters at the procession on July 6 echoed that message of confrontation.

“We want revenge. It must be done. Because later, if it’s not done, it will get worse,” said Khanbabaei. AFP