Body of late Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei brought to Tehran farewell
Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran late Thursday as the body of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was brought to a farewell ceremony, kicking off a week-long series of funeral rites that will move through Qom and Iraq before concluding with his burial in Mashhad on July 9.
The body of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived in Tehran late Thursday for a farewell ceremony attended by thousands of relatives of those killed in US-Israeli attacks, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA. Family members of war victims gathered near the site where the 86-year-old cleric was killed to pay final respects as the nation entered a nine-day mourning period.
Nine-day funeral program
An official memorial ceremony is scheduled for Friday, July 3, drawing heads of state, senior officials and religious leaders from across the region to the capital. Farewell ceremonies will continue in Tehran through July 5 before the main funeral procession on July 6.
The funeral rites will then move to the holy city of Qom on July 7 before crossing into Iraq on July 8 for ceremonies in Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala, where religious and political figures will receive the body at major Shia shrines. The final burial is scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Ali Reza shrine in Mashhad, one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.
Regional conflict
Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, an event that triggered weeks of war and heightened tensions across the region. The conflict has disrupted maritime traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and drawn international concern over the continuing hostilities.
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