TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s dayslong funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of the man who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West. Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighboring Iraq. ___
A mourner weeps as he attends the start of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Mourners cool off under a spray of water as they walk to the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque during the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried into the Mosalla Grand Mosque ahead of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Women carry a portrait of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as they arrive to pay their respects before the coffins of Khamenei and members of his family during a viewing ceremony ahead of the dayslong funeral ceremonies at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
