Tehran’s streets became a dense, surging river of mourners as Iran bid farewell to its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, with authorities saying millions attended a funeral procession cast as a show of the Islamic republic’s endurance after months of war in the Middle East.
Loyal supporters of the Islamic republic joined senior officials as a truck bearing the bodies of Khamenei and four family members killed in a 28 February US-Israeli strike moved slowly toward Azadi Square in western Tehran.
Images from the capital showed vast crowds packed along major boulevards, while state television said the turnout reached into the millions — an event it compared to the enormous funeral for Khamenei’s predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.
The ceremonies have given Iran a stage to project resilience after five months of conflict with the United States and Israel. Even so, much of the attention has shifted to the question of succession — and to Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking power.
Ali Khamenei’s sons, Masoud Khamenei (2nd L), Meysam Khamenei (2nd R), and Mostafa Khamenei (R), made a rare appearance at the funeral
Khamenei’s body had lain in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex before the procession began threading through the city, accompanied by crowds that spilled across roads and sidewalks.
Dressed in black, mourners scattered petals across the coffins. State media reported that among them was the small casket of Khamenei’s granddaughter, who was only 14-months old when she was killed.
Officials are trying to prevent the kind of disorder that overshadowed the 1989 funeral for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to state news agency IRNA.
“If I am to compare this ceremony to that one, I can say they are not different at all. But the crowd this time seems more enthusiastic,” one man attending the procession said.
For the occasion, Tehran’s airspace was closed as the country paused to remember the former leader.
Mourners walked for blocks waving Iranian flags alongside the banners of the Tehran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, while red flags — symbols of revenge — rose above the crowd.
In Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran, others hanged an effigy of US President Donald Trump, according to state media.
Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was seen among those attending, local media reported.
With temperatures sweltering, trucks sprayed water over the crowd to cool people, while organisers distributed Iranian flags and pictures of Ali and Mojtaba.
Mojtaba absent
On the previous day, thousands had crowded into the Grand Mosalla to pay respects to Khamenei and the four relatives killed in the Israeli airstrikes, which were based on US intelligence.
At the complex, massive concrete walls separated the public from the coffin — a measure intended to prevent stampedes.
It remains unclear how close the public will ultimately be allowed to get during the 20km-long procession. Authorities have not forgotten that in 1989 they had to use a helicopter to move Khomeini for burial after mourners surged onto his vehicle, tearing his burial shroud and causing his body to fall to the ground.
Authorities have estimated millions of people lined the streets of Tehran
The Tehran procession is set to be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom tomorrow and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
On Sunday, three of Ali Khamenei’s sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral, drawing fresh notice to the continued absence of Mojtaba, who was named supreme leader shortly after his father’s killing but has yet to appear in public.
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Officials have said he was wounded in the airstrikes, but the severity of his injuries remains unclear.
Ahmad Vahidi, the new commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards — appointed after his predecessor was killed on 28 February — was also seen at the funerals for a second time on Sunday. This time he appeared outdoors after going unseen throughout the war.
Esmail Qaani, the shadowy head of the Guards’ Quds Force, which oversees foreign operations, also made a rare appearance.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since his appointment in March
Still, as on previous days, Mojtaba Khamenei was nowhere to be seen, fuelling speculation about his location and his condition. Iranian officials have said he was wounded in an airstrike, and it remains uncertain whether he will appear during the ceremonies.
According to his official social media, Mojtaba Khamenei earlier reappointed Ejei as judiciary chief.
Today’s procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday.
