Millions of mourners packed the streets of Tehran on Saturday as public farewell ceremonies commenced for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The historic funeral procession opens four months after Khamenei was killed on February 28 during a joint US-Israeli military assault on Iran, a conflict that triggered a months-long regional war and forced the postponement of the original March burial plans.
Authorities opened the gates of the Imam Khomeini Mosque to the public to begin a multi-day mourning period. The elaborate ceremonies will span several days and transition from Tehran to Qom, followed by the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. A final burial is scheduled to take place in Mashhad.
Current estimates project between 12 and 15 million people will attend the six-day funeral event, with a maximum capacity reaching up to 20 million. The attendance figures parallel the historic 1989 funeral of Iran’s first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, an event that drew an estimated 10 million mourners into the capital.
The ceremonies are proceeding under a fragile temporary ceasefire and a one-week de-escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, anchored by the recently drafted “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.” United States and Iranian officials temporarily paused negotiations to allow the funeral to take place, according to statements from Donald Trump.
International delegations arrived in Tehran to pay their respects during the public mourning window. Attendees included Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a Saudi deputy foreign minister.