Giant portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were displayed at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Tuesday as preparations continued for the late Iranian supreme leader’s major funeral ceremony.
The funeral had earlier been delayed during the peak of the Middle East conflict. It is now scheduled as Iran and the United States continue to observe a fragile ceasefire after reaching a preliminary agreement to stop the fighting.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed at the age of 86 in US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, the opening day of the war. His public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body placed at the Grand Mosalla, a major religious and official gathering site in central Tehran.
The bodies of his slain relatives will also be presented during the ceremonies. Officials expect between 15 and 20 million mourners to attend, which could make it the largest state funeral in Iran’s history.
Workers were seen repainting the venue, welding metal structures and using cranes to move construction materials. A heavy police presence was also visible around the area.Authorities have advised mourners to use public transport due to the expected crowds. State media has also urged people to stay hydrated as temperatures are expected to rise during the funeral period.
Major traffic restrictions are already being imposed across Tehran, with some highway lanes closed. Public and private offices in the capital will remain shut from Saturday to Monday.
Foreign representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend a separate event on Friday. People from neighbouring countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, are also expected to arrive.After the Tehran ceremonies, the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be taken to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before burial on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
It remains unclear whether his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, will attend the main ceremony in Tehran.
Read more: Iran Postpones Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Funeral Ceremony
