politics
Iran Schedules Multi-Day Funeral for Former Supreme Leader Khamenei
Iran will hold a four-day funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei starting Saturday in Tehran. The events follow his death in February during U.S. and Israeli strikes and come amid a new memorandum of understanding with the United States.
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Iran will hold viewing ceremonies, prayers, and a procession for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over four days beginning Saturday. The events are scheduled four months after he was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes that began February 28.
A viewing of the coffin and prayers are set for Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran. A procession through city streets is planned for Monday, with burial scheduled for Thursday in Mashhad.
The schedule was confirmed last month, shortly before Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding ending hostilities.
56-year-old son Mojtaba was appointed supreme leader in March after being wounded in the same attack. Iranian officials have not confirmed whether he will attend any funeral events. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is expected to use the ceremonies to demonstrate regional influence.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated Thursday that the nation must convey its call for avenging the blood of the martyred leader. Security measures are planned after past incidents at large Iranian funerals, including a 1989 stampede during Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s procession and a 2024 attack that killed 84 people at a Soleimani commemoration.
