Iran Begins Historic Farewell for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body has arrived at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla ahead of official funeral ceremonies.
- Iranian authorities expect 15 to 20 million mourners and delegations from around 30 countries to attend.
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to represent Pakistan at the funeral in Tehran.
The official funeral ceremonies for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have begun in Tehran after his body was brought to the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, where thousands of mourners had already started gathering for what is expected to become the largest state funeral in Iran’s history.
According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the remains of the late leader arrived at the Grand Mosalla religious complex on Friday. The venue has been decorated with large banners displaying Khamenei’s photographs and quotations as preparations continue for several days of public mourning.
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Iranian officials believe between 15 and 20 million people could participate in the funeral events, with mourners expected to travel from every province of the country. If those estimates are met, the ceremony would become the biggest state funeral ever held in Iran.
Pakistan will be represented at the funeral by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. China, Afghanistan and several neighbouring countries in the Caucasus region have also confirmed that official delegations will attend, while representatives from nearly 30 countries are expected to participate in the ceremonies.
Security has been significantly tightened across Tehran ahead of the event. Authorities have increased checkpoints around the Grand Mosalla complex, restricted vehicle movement in surrounding areas and deployed extensive security personnel to manage the expected crowds.
Workers continued final preparations outside the venue, planting flowers and arranging the grounds before the arrival of mourners. One worker, Hossein Moghadassi, said people from across Iran were expected to attend the farewell ceremony, predicting exceptionally large crowds.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf urged citizens to participate in large numbers, describing the funeral as a defining moment in the country’s history. He said the massive public turnout would demonstrate national unity and send a message to the international community following Khamenei’s death in US-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the recent conflict.
The moment the body of the martyred Leader of the Revolution was brought into the farewell ceremony at Imam Khomeini's Hussainiya. pic.twitter.com/aDf8Ko3EDw
— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) July 2, 2026
The funeral had originally been postponed while fighting between Iran and Israel continued. The ceremonies are now taking place after Iran and the United States reached a preliminary agreement that led to a fragile ceasefire aimed at ending the conflict.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, regarded by millions of Shia Muslims as their spiritual leader, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes that targeted his compound in central Tehran. His body will remain at the Grand Mosalla for three days to allow the public to pay their respects. The bodies of several of his slain relatives will also be displayed during the mourning ceremonies.
Alongside Tehran, the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, where later stages of the funeral and burial ceremonies will take place, will observe public holidays. Government offices and many private businesses in Tehran will remain closed from Saturday through Monday, while extensive traffic restrictions have been imposed across the city centre.
Iranian authorities have also announced partial airspace closures over Tehran beginning Friday, with a complete closure scheduled for Monday to facilitate security arrangements during the funeral.
Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before being buried on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, the northeastern Iranian city where he was born.
It remains unclear whether Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has stayed out of the public eye since assuming the position, will appear at the main funeral ceremony in Tehran. Meanwhile, pilgrims and official delegations continue arriving from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries to take part in the historic farewell.
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