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 Saturday in Tehran, with thousands gathering to pay respects and chant calls for revenge against Israel and the United States. The state-organized funeral is scheduled to continue for four more days, passing through five cities in Iran and Iraq before concluding on Thursday with Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad.

Public mourning ceremonies began Saturday morning at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla prayer complex, where Khamenei’s coffin is displayed. This site is historically significant as the location where he delivered many of his major speeches during his decades-long leadership. Iranian authorities declared Saturday a day off and hung flags bearing the slogan "We Must Rise." Thousands of regime officials are expected to line the funeral route.

Iranian officials estimate that around 700,000 pilgrims will participate in approximately 400 additional processions around the capital. To ease traffic congestion, attendees were advised to park outside the city and use public transportation. The procession will then move to the holy city of Qom, where the coffin will be paraded along a main avenue to the Jamkaran Mosque, a site revered by many Shia as the last place the Hidden Imam was seen before his disappearance in the 9th century. Authorities in Qom have prepared 20 million water bottles and 1.5 million sandwiches to accommodate the expected crowds amid high temperatures.

On Wednesday, the funeral procession will cross into Iraq, visiting the sacred Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf. Iraq, with its Shia majority, has long been a center of power for Khamenei’s influence and his alliances with armed groups across the Arab world. The funeral will conclude on 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, one of Shia Islam’s holiest sites. Former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024, is also buried there.

Amid the preparations, uncertainty remains about 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, coinciding with the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel, and Iran. His funeral was delayed for months due to ongoing hostilities. The event is now set to be one of the largest mourning ceremonies in Iran’s history, occurring as talks with Washington reach an impasse.