Huge crowds gather as Khamenei funeral ceremonies begin in Iran
Mourners gather at the Grand Mosalla to pay their final respects to Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on July 4, 2026. (AFP)
Funeral ceremonies for Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei officially began on July 4 morning, state television reported, an event drawing thousands and intended to serve as a show of strength to the Islamic republic's foes.
Iranian authorities say they anticipate between 15 and 20 million participants in Tehran alone over the next three days for tributes to the man who ran the country for three-and-a-half decades.
Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic republic as its number one from 1989 until his killing aged 86 on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.
