Millions Attend Funeral Procession in Tehran for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Vast crowds gathered in Tehran on Monday for the funeral procession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with authorities estimating millions on the streets. -Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Hundreds of thousands of mourners reached out to touch the flag-draped casket as it traveled slowly on a truck through central Tehran.

The truck carried the casket alongside four others holding family members also killed in the strike. Attendants sprayed water on the crowd amid extreme heat while officials used loudspeakers to urge people to walk slowly. The procession lasted roughly 12 hours before the caskets were flown later Monday to Qom for ceremonies scheduled on Tuesday.

Many mourners carried signs calling for the deaths of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some chanted slogans of revenge. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian joined mourners for prayers at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla.

"Today, too, by acting upon the divine command 'that you stand for Allah in twos and singly,' with empathy, concord, and sincere service to the people, we will continue the path of Iran's honor, progress, and glory," Pezeshkian said in a post on X. -Iran talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reaching a permanent end to the war remain paused until after the burial, which is set for Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared at the ceremonies.

He was reportedly injured in the February strike and has remained out of public view since. The funeral is scheduled to continue into Iraq later this week with ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala.