The body of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived in the holy city of Qom on Monday evening, hours after a sea of people filled the streets of Tehran for his funeral procession. The event, which drew millions according to state television, marks the third day of a six-day sequence of ceremonies following Khamenei’s death in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.
Massive Turnout in Tehran
On Monday, huge crowds lined major boulevards in Tehran as a truck carrying the bodies of Khamenei and four family members killed in the strike slowly made its way to Azadi Square. State television reported that millions turned out, comparing the event to the funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Mourners, clad in black, threw petals onto the coffins, including the tiny casket of Khamenei’s 14-month-old granddaughter.
“We will avenge the blood of the martyrs and our martyred imam from these criminals,” said a 63-year-old mourner who gave his surname as Kazemi. People carried blood-red flags—symbols of vengeance in Shia Islam—and slogans including “Kill Trump” and images of Mojtaba Khamenei.
Arrival in Qom and Upcoming Ceremonies
“The body of the martyred leader has arrived in Qom,” south of the capital, state television said on social media, alongside footage showing a helicopter carrying Khamenei’s body landing in the city. The procession will continue with events in Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday.
Another truck was adorned with images of top Iranian and pro-Tehran officials killed in recent years, including Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, who was killed in a US strike in 2020. In sweltering heat approaching 40°C, trucks sprayed mourners with water along a route covering around 20 kilometers.
Political Figures Attend
President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was among the mourners, wrote on X: “The leadership of the martyr taught everyone that Iran’s greatest asset is its people and their unity.” Other officials attending included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Quds Force head Esmail Qaani. The head of Iran’s supreme national security council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, made his first public appearance since being named at the procession. State media also showed former president Mahmood Ahmadinejad taking part.
Focus on Mojtaba Khamenei
On the third day of ceremonies, there was still no sign of Khamenei’s successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since before his appointment a week after his father’s death. Iranian officials have said he was wounded in an airstrike, and it remains uncertain if he will appear for the ceremonies. Mojtaba Khamenei earlier reappointed Ejei as judiciary chief, according to his official social media.
The ceremonies culminate with Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday, which will be closely watched for signs of Mojtaba attending. Authorities are eager to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khomeini, where crowd surges killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000. Jafar Miadfar, head of emergency services, told state news agency that no fatalities have been recorded so far.
