Khamenei's body lies in state in Tehran ahead of funeral

The body of Iran's supreme leader, killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, has arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla ahead of his funeral, state media reported.

Millions of people and a number of foreign dignitaries are expected to attend tomorrow's official ceremony for Ali Khamenei, with Iran's chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.

Photos showed mourners carrying Khamenei's coffin, emblazoned with Iran's tricolour flag, into the Grand Mosalla, one of the Islamic republic's most important ceremonial venues.

Others show crowds at a pre-funeral ceremony clad in black, as the coffin was set down against a backdrop of red flowers and white butterflies hanging in the air.

Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, made his first appearance since the start of the war in February, paying his respects at the coffin, Iranian media footage showed.

Also among those to visit the coffin were the foreign minister of Afghanistan's Taliban government and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian state television showed.

Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit came just hours after one by Ahmad Massoud, the head of an anti-Taliban group, whose father was backed by Iran in the 1990s.

Preparations for Khamenei's public funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, are taking place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.

China and Iran's neighbours in the Caucasus region said they will also be sending representatives.

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had called for "all the Iranian people ... to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence".

"The nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world," Mr Ghalibaf, who is Iran's speaker of parliament, added in a statement.

Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes on his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital on the first day of the war on 28 February.

He will lie in state for three days at the colossal Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners featuring images and quotes of Khamenei.

Coffins containing the remains of his relatives, including that of a young child, who also killed on 28 February are present.

Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba, was believed to have been badly injured in the attacks and it remains unknown if he will be present at the main ceremony in Tehran.

He has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader.

Multi-city commemorations

The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country's history.

Mr Ghalibaf called it "one of the most significant moments" in Iran's history.

Tehran, as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, which will host later stages of the funeral and the burial ceremonies, will observe public holidays while the events are under way.

Authorities have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from tomorrow through Monday, while traffic restrictions will make much of the city centre inaccessible to private vehicles.

The airspace over Tehran will be partially closed from today and fully closed on Monday.

Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei's body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on 9 July at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his birthplace.

Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with people coming from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.