Thousands of mourners gathered at Tehran's Grand Mosque on Saturday to begin a six-day funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei [1, 2].
The ceremonies mark a pivotal transition for the Iranian state following the death of its highest authority. Khamenei died on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran [4, 1].
The procession began at the Baha of the Great Prayer Hall in Tehran [1, 3]. Crowds of mourners carried red banners and chanted, "Death to America, death to Israel," during the initial ceremonies [1].
Officials have planned a multi-city route for the late leader's body. According to some reports, the procession will move toward Iraq before the final burial in Mashhad [3]. Other reports said the body will first be taken to Qom and then to Iraq [3, 5].
There are varying accounts regarding the timeline of the events. Some sources said the mourning period will last six days [2]. Other reports said the body will remain in the Tehran prayer hall until Monday before traveling to Qom and arriving in Iraq on July 8 [2, 5].
The procession is expected to include stops at the Upper and Lower Al-Hazrat shrines in Iraq before the body returns to Iran for burial in Mashhad [3, 5].
“Death to America, death to Israel”
The scale and geography of the funeral procession—extending from Tehran to Iraq and ending in Mashhad—serve as a demonstration of the late Supreme Leader's regional influence. By routing the procession through key religious sites, the Iranian state is framing Khamenei's death as a martyrdom within the context of the ongoing conflict with the U.S. and Israel, aiming to consolidate domestic resolve and religious legitimacy during a period of war.
