Funeral procession for Iran's slain supreme leader Khamenei begins

TEHRAN

People gather to mourn Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the funeral ceremonies at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran on July 5, 2026.(AFP)

The funeral procession for Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei and three family members began in Tehran on July 6, state television reported.

"The funeral procession for the revered body of the martyred Imam and leader began a few moments ago in the capital," Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) posted on Telegram, adding that it was attended by a "massive crowd" of mourners.

Khamenei was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Feb. 28.

After lying in state in Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex for two days, Khamenei will be processed through the city for 10 to 12 hours.

The 1989 funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, drew some 10 million people, according to state news agency IRNA, and crowd surges killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.

Thousands had filled the Grand Mosalla on July 5, where they paid their respects to Khamenei and four family members, all killed on Feb. 28 in Israeli airstrikes based on U.S. intelligence.

Massive concrete walls separated the public from the coffin to prevent stampedes.

Authorities are mindful that in 1989 they were forced to use a helicopter to transport Khomeini for burial after mourners stormed his vehicle, causing his burial shroud to tear and his body to fall to the ground.

As well as laying to rest the man who ruled the Islamic republic for more than three-and-a-half decades, the funerals are a chance for Iran's authorities to burnish their resilience after five weeks at war with Israel and the United States.