Iran on Saturday morning officially began a six-day public funeral ceremony for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, state television reported.
Khamenei was killed in a United States-Israeli airstrike on his official residence in Tehran on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Thousands of mourners carrying red banners – a symbol of retribution – waited for Khamenei’s coffin to arrive in the courtyard of Tehran’s huge Grand Mosallah religious complex, as an AFP journalist watched.
Khamenei’s coffin will remain in state until Monday. After this, his coffin will be taken to the holy city of Qom for Shia Muslims, as well as to neighboring Iraq, before being buried in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
Iran’s airspace and many roads in the cities where the coffin will be displayed will be closed for several days for security reasons during the ceremony.
Who is attending Khamenei’s funeral?
International guests who paid their respects to Khamenei included Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose country has emerged as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Russian Security Council, attended on President Vladimir Putin’s behalf.
He Wei, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee of China, was present from the Chinese side.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki, a member of the Taliban, paid his respects to Khamenei.
An Indian delegation also reached Tehran on Friday and paid homage in front of Khamenei’s coffin.
Family members of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Iran-backed Islamist militia Hezbollah, who was killed in the Israeli strike were also present.
Iranian officials have not confirmed whether Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran’s supreme leader, will appear at any stage of the funeral ceremony. He has not been seen in public for several months.
IRGC data seen publicly for the first time
As Iran prepared for the funeral, a high-ranking general from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was seen in public for the first time in several months.
General Ahmad Vahidi is one of the people responsible for Iran’s tough stance in negotiations with the US. Both countries have been discussing for months to end the war.
He was last seen in public on February 8, nearly three weeks before the US-Israeli strikes that marked the beginning of the Iran war.
Edited by: Carl Sexton
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