Iran begins funeral for Ali Khamenei as millions expected in Tehran, security warnings issued

Massive crowds in Tehran

Tens of thousands of black-clad Iranians gathered at the Grand Mosalla mosque in Tehran on Saturday morning for the start of public mourning for Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on 28 February. The body, draped in an Iranian flag and with Khamenei's black turban placed on the coffin, was displayed alongside the coffins of four family members also killed in the attack. Many in the crowd held red flags inscribed with "martyr" and chanted "revenge" and "death to America, death to Israel," according to AFP journalists at the scene. Iranian authorities expect between 15 and 20 million people to take part in the Tehran ceremonies alone.

A six-day funeral across two countries

The funeral rites will span six days and five cities in two countries. After the public viewing at Mosalla, which continues day and night until Monday, the coffin will be taken in a street procession through Tehran. On Tuesday it will reach the holy city of Qom, and on Wednesday it will travel to the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq. Khamenei is to be buried on 9 July in his birthplace, Mashhad. The ceremonies were originally scheduled for March but were postponed because of the war.

Security fears and stark warnings

The funeral is taking place under heavy security, with the airspace over Tehran closed on Monday and Revolutionary Guard forces patrolling the streets. The IRGC warned that "any miscalculation will be met with a decisive and more overwhelming response than ever, which will be recorded forever in their shameful history."

Any miscalculation will be met with a decisive and more overwhelming response than ever, which will be recorded forever in their shameful history.

The warning followed a statement by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "targeted for elimination," according to Ynet. US President Donald Trump said the United States had given Iran "a week off" for the funeral, adding that "we are kind" and that the Iranian leadership "desperately wants to settle the situation."

We gave Iran a week off. We are kind. The leadership desperately wants to settle the situation.

A former Israeli intelligence official told CNN that Iran is guarding everything "draconianly" because it "doesn't want to risk anything."

International presence and symbolism

Dignitaries from at least 35 countries attended the ceremonies, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated between Iran and the US, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Delegations from China, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Cuba, Armenia, Serbia, and others were also present, as were representatives of Hezbollah and Hamas. The start date, 4 July, coincides with US Independence Day, a choice Iranian media described as deliberate symbolism. A senior cleric in Qom, Ayatollah Mohammad Sa'idi, told state media that the mass turnout would serve as "another referendum for the Islamic Republic."

The mass public attendance at the funeral procession of the martyred leader and the other martyrs will, in fact, be another referendum for the Islamic Republic.

Logistics and historical echoes

To manage the crowds, the Iranian Red Crescent set up more than 400 tents in a large park, with water tankers on standby as temperatures were expected to exceed 35°C. A 61-year-old teacher, Ezzat Soai, said she had prepared her home to host visitors from abroad.

We prepared our homes in Tehran to host those coming from abroad. God willing, after welcoming the guests, we will go together to say goodbye to our beloved leader.

The only comparable funerals in Iran's recent history were those of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, which drew about 10 million people and left more than 10 dead in a stampede, and Qasem Soleimani in 2020, which also descended into chaos. Officials are hoping to avoid a repeat of those tragedies.