Funeral procession with Khamenei’s body passes through Tehran

Killed head of state

Funeral procession with Khamenei’s body passes through Tehran

Iran’s head of state Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is to be buried around four months after his killing. In the metropolis of Tehran, his body is to be paraded through the city.

Before the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his body is led in a procession through the metropolis of Tehran. The funeral procession for the former religious leader began in the east of the capital and runs along the central main traffic axis to the Asadi Tower in the west of the city, as the government announced.

The funeral procession through the city could last up to 12 hours, a general in charge of planning, Hassan Hassansadeh, said on state television.

Khamenei was killed on February 28 by an Israeli airstrike on his official residence in Iran’s capital. Then they led USA and Israel more than five weeks of war against the Iranuntil representatives are selected Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire at the beginning of April.

For security reasons, Iran closed the airspace over Tehran on Monday. Temporary and localized restrictions were also imposed on Tuesday and until Khamenei’s funeral on Thursday Air traffic announced. The former head of state will be buried in his hometown of Mashhad in the northeast of the country. Before that there are ceremonies in the pilgrimage city of Qom and in the neighboring country Iraq planned.

For Khamenei’s supporters and the Iranian leadership, national mourning is both a farewell and a demonstration of political unity. For the head of state, the major event offers the opportunity to demonstrate unity and the ability to act. For weeks, the government has been emphasizing that it has survived the war against the militarily superior USA and Israel.

Khamenei’s son Moschtaba was appointed as the new head of state a week after his father’s death in early March, but has not made any public appearances since then. This sparked speculation about his health. There is talk of serious injuries. State television described him as a “disabled war veteran” but gave no further details. It is also unclear whether he will appear at the funeral in Mashhad.

According to Iranian media, the 56-year-old is not scheduled to lead a prayer. In Qom, the influential Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi (99) is said to lead the funeral prayer, in Mashhad Nuri Hamedani (101). In Tehran, the 97-year-old Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani appeared as a prayer leader.

While high-ranking representatives from the government and military took part in the funeral ceremonies and some appeared in public for the first time since the start of the war, some politicians criticized the absence of prominent personalities. Former Vice President Mohammed Ali Abtahi complained on X that previous presidents had not been invited. “Such a presence could have (…) conveyed an image of internal unity and national cohesion to the eyes of the world,” he wrote.

In particular, leading politicians from the reformist camp were not seen at the funeral ceremonies, including former Presidents Hassan Rouhani and Mohammed Khatami as well as former Foreign Minister Mohammed-Jawad Zarif. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also absent.