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The body of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, killed in US-Israeli strikes in the ongoing Middle East conflict, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his state funeral, according to Iranian state media.
Images broadcast by state outlets showed mourners carrying his coffin, draped in Iran’s tricolour flag, into the vast ceremonial complex, one of the Islamic Republic’s most significant public venues. Other visuals captured large crowds dressed in black as pre-funeral rites unfolded, with the coffin placed amid red flowers and white decorative elements symbolising mourning and reverence.
Millions of people are expected to attend Saturday’s official ceremony. Iranian authorities and senior officials have also called for mass participation.
Tehran’s Speaker of Parliament and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, urged citizens to turn out in large numbers.
“All the Iranian people should write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence,” he said, while declaring that “the nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world.”
Khamenei, 86, described as a spiritual figure for many Shia Muslims, was killed in strikes on his residence in central Tehran. His death marked a major escalation in the conflict between Iran and Israel, with US involvement deepening the regional crisis.
Preparations at the Grand Mosalla continued under tight security, with traffic restrictions in place and sections of central Tehran closed.
Ahmad Vahidi, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, made a rare public appearance during the preparations, paying respects at the coffin.
Iranian officials estimate that between 15 and 20 million mourners could attend multi-city ceremonies, making it the largest state funeral in the country’s history. Public holidays have been declared in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, while airspace restrictions and city-wide closures have been imposed to manage security and movement.
Foreign delegations are expected from around 30 countries, including Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and neighbouring states. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is confirmed to attend, as regional and diplomatic figures converge in Tehran.
After the Tehran ceremonies, the funeral procession is scheduled to continue to Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala, before Khamenei’s burial on 9 July at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
The presence of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains unconfirmed.
