DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Months after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader at the start of its war with the United States and Israel, mourners will hold a dayslong funeral and burial for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.The mourning period will see Khamenei’s body carried through cities in both Iran and neighboring Iraq. Iran’s theocracy likely will encourage the public, government employees and paramilitary forces to fill the streets in his honor.Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly four decades, was killed on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel jointly launched the war. The funeral was delayed as the war raged.The funeral will serve as a test for Iran’s battered theocracy and its ability to summon a mass show of support, particularly as the funeral comes six months after security forces’ crackdown on nationwide protests against Khamenei’s rule.
A large turnout also could raise the risk of deadly stampedes. One marred the funeral of Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.An uneasy ceasefire period, capped by an interim deal with the United States, likely gave authorities the confidence to hold the ceremony and have top officials appear. Israel throughout the war killed senior leaders, in at least one case using public appearances to track them.
