Tehran Prepares Funeral for Khamenei Killed in US-Israeli Strike

Giant portraits of Ali Khamenei hung from Tehran's Grand Mosalla on Tuesday as workers applied fresh paint and welded metal structures ahead of his public funeral. Le Monde reported that Khamenei, 86, was killed in a strike on February 28 at his compound in central Tehran on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

His body will lie in state at the Grand Mosalla complex beginning Saturday, along with the bodies of slain relatives.

Officials said the ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners. State television showed cranes lifting materials and urged crowds to use public transport while temperatures rise. A separate event for foreign heads of state is scheduled for Friday, with representatives from around 30 countries expected, according to Ali-Akbar Pourjamshidian, secretary of the funeral ceremony headquarters.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran had not extended an official invitation to Europe and accused European nations of standing on the wrong side of history. Tehran, Qom and Mashhad will observe public holidays. Authorities ordered public and private offices in Tehran closed from Saturday through Monday and imposed major traffic restrictions in central areas.

After the Tehran events, Khamenei's body will be taken to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad. It remains unknown whether Khamenei's son Mojtaba will attend the main ceremony. Pourjamshidian said any program for Mojtaba would be announced by the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.