The funeral ceremonies will continue in Qom before moving to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
A vehicle carrying coffins of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members, makes its way as people attend a funeral procession for Khamenei in Tehran, Iran July 6, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader)
07 Jul 2026 04:32AM
TEHRAN: The body of Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei arrived in the holy city of Qom on Monday (Jul 6) evening, hours after a sea of people filled the streets of Tehran for his funeral procession in the capital.Ordinary Iranians loyal to the Islamic republic joined top officials for the event, in which a truck carrying the bodies of Khamenei and four family members killed in a Feb 28 US-Israeli strike inched its way to Azadi Square in the west of the city.Monday's procession will be followed by similar events in Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday."The body of the martyred leader has arrived in Qom," south of the capital, state television said on social media, alongside footage showing a helicopter carrying Khamenei's body landing in the city.Earlier Monday, AFP images showed huge numbers stretching along major boulevards in Tehran, while state television said millions turned out for an event comparable to the giant funeral of Khamenei's predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.But on the third day of a marathon six-day sequence of funeral ceremonies, there was still no sign of Khamenei's successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since before his appointment a week after his father's death.
