Iran has begun a multi-day funeral ceremony for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with large crowds gathering in the capital on Saturday as authorities displayed his coffin at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran. The ceremony comes months after Khamenei was killed in an airstrike at the start of a war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, according to the details in the report. The state-organised event has drawn widespread public participation, with officials expecting large turnouts across several days of mourning.

Eyewitness accounts cited in the report described scenes of intense grief and devotion, with participants travelling from different parts of Iran to attend the funeral. Some mourners said they had come to express loyalty to the state and its leadership during a period of national mourning. Organisers reportedly provided water and relief measures as temperatures rose, anticipating a mass turnout similar to historic state funerals in Iran.

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The timing of the funeral coincided with U.S. Independence Day celebrations, a detail that added to the political undertone of the events. While Iranian authorities did not officially comment on the date alignment, public chants and messaging during the ceremony included anti-U.S. slogans. The report also cited comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed that Iran had been weakened and suggested that Tehran was seeking to negotiate an end to hostilities.

The event also saw heightened security and widespread disruptions in Tehran, with road closures, restricted movement, and tightened control over public spaces as part of the mourning arrangements. Authorities are expected to continue funeral processions across multiple cities in Iran and neighbouring Iraq in the coming days, culminating in the final burial in Khamenei’s home city of Mashhad.

The report further notes that questions remain over the presence of Iran’s new leadership at the ceremonies, while regional tensions continue amid warnings exchanged between Iran, Israel, and the United States. With the situation still evolving, officials in Tehran have urged restraint and cautioned against actions that could escalate the already volatile regional environment.

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