Iran is preparing for days of nationwide funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, turning the burial of the country's longtime supreme leader into what officials hope will be the largest public display of loyalty to the Islamic Republic in decades.
Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes during the opening phase of the war, ending nearly four decades of his rule.
His death, followed by the appointment of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as Iran's third supreme leader, marks one of the most consequential turning points since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Beginning this weekend, authorities will stage an elaborate series of ceremonies across Iran, with major funeral processions planned in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad before concluding with religious events in Iraq's Shiite holy cities.
Women react near the coffins of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members, on the day international delegates participate in a farewell ceremony, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, Tehran, Iran, July 3, 2026. (Reuters Photo)
