Iran has begun final preparations for the state funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with his body arriving at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla ahead of Saturday’s official ceremony expected to draw millions of mourners and foreign dignitaries.
State media reported that Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, will lie in state for three days at one of the Islamic Republic’s most significant ceremonial venues before his burial.
Images released by Iranian media showed mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin, draped in Iran’s tricolour flag, into the Grand Mosalla.
Other photographs captured crowds dressed in black gathering for a pre-funeral ceremony as the coffin rested beneath displays of red flowers and suspended white butterflies.
The funeral comes as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire following a preliminary agreement aimed at ending months of conflict.
Among the expected attendees are Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, alongside representatives from China, Afghanistan and several neighbouring countries in the Caucasus, underscoring the regional significance of the ceremony.
Also making a rare public appearance was Ahmad Vahidi, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who paid his respects at Khamenei’s coffin after remaining out of public view since the conflict erupted in February.
Across Tehran, workers continued preparations at the Grand Mosalla as security was tightened around the venue, with roads monitored and access restricted ahead of the funeral.
“We are planting flowers and watering the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide,” said worker Hossein Moghadassi, who wore a hat and face covering while working in soaring temperatures.
“People will come from all over Iran. There will be huge crowds.”
Iran’s chief negotiator and Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, called for a massive public turnout, describing the ceremony as a defining national moment.
“All the Iranian people… to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence,” Ghalibaf said on Thursday.
He added:
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world.”
Khamenei, regarded by many Shiite Muslims as a spiritual leader, was killed at the age of 86 during strikes on his compound in central Tehran.
His coffin will remain at the Grand Mosalla throughout the mourning period, with banners displaying his image and quotations adorning the vast complex. The bodies of several of his slain relatives will also lie in state during the funeral observances.
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