Emotional scenes marked the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday as Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf broke down while paying his final respects to the slain leader.
With his hands clasped in prayer, Ghalibaf was seen in tears during the farewell ceremony held at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, where thousands of mourners gathered to honour Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in coordinated US-Israeli strikes. Several members of his family were also killed during the attacks, which triggered a major regional conflict.
Standing beside Ghalibaf during the ceremony were Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials. Araghchi also appeared visibly emotional as tributes were paid to the longtime Iranian leader.
Khamenei’s coffin, draped in the colours of the Islamic Republic, was brought to the Grand Mosalla complex in Tehran, where he was honoured after leading the country for more than three decades.
Calling for a massive public turnout, Ghalibaf urged Iranians to participate in the funeral ceremonies, describing their presence as a response to the assassination of the Supreme Leader.
“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world," he said.
Authorities expect between 15 million and 20 million people to attend the six-day funeral ceremonies, prompting heightened security measures across Iran, particularly in the capital, Tehran.
The funeral programme includes a procession through the streets of Tehran on Monday, followed by another in the holy city of Qom, located about 140 kilometres southwest of the capital and regarded as Iran’s principal centre of Shia Islamic scholarship.
The ceremonies will conclude on July 9 in Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown, where he will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine. Additional memorial events are also scheduled to take place in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala during the intervening days.
