Millions Attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral Procession Across Iran and Iraq

The funeral procession of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered its second day on July 4, 2026, with thousands gathering in Tehran to pay respects and chant calls for revenge against Israel and the United States. The state-organized funeral is planned to last four more days, traveling through five cities in Iran and Iraq before concluding on Thursday with Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad.

Public mourning ceremonies began early Saturday at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla prayer complex, where Khamenei’s coffin is displayed. This site was also where he delivered many of his key speeches during his decades as Supreme Leader. Iranian authorities declared Saturday a public holiday and decorated the capital with flags bearing the slogan “We Must Rise.” Thousands of regime officials are expected to line the funeral route.

Iranian officials estimate around 700,000 pilgrims will participate in approximately 400 additional processions around Tehran. To ease traffic congestion, attendees were urged to park on the city outskirts and use public transportation. The procession will next move to the holy city of Qom, where the coffin will be paraded along a main boulevard to the Jamkaran Mosque, a significant site for Shia Muslims.

Authorities in Qom have prepared for large crowds and extreme heat by distributing 20 million water bottles and 1.5 million sandwiches. On Wednesday, the funeral will cross into Iraq, visiting Karbala and Najaf, two of the most sacred Shia sites. Iraq’s Shia majority has long identified Khamenei with the Shia power bloc and his alliances with armed groups across the Arab world.

The funeral will conclude Thursday in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and Khamenei’s birthplace, where over one million people are expected to attend the burial at the shrine of Imam Reza. This site also contains the tomb of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024. Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounds the participation of Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who reportedly was injured in an airstrike near the time of his father’s death and has not appeared publicly since.

Khamenei was killed on February 28, 2026, coinciding with the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel, and Iran. His funeral was delayed for months due to ongoing conflict. The current ceremonies represent one of the largest mourning events in Iran’s history, occurring amid stalled negotiations with Washington.