Mourners gather on Tehran streets ahead of Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral as global envoys prepare to attend
Tehran, July 3
Huge crowds of mourners gathered on the streets of Tehran ahead of the funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, scheduled to take place from July 4 through July 9, CNN reported.
Large numbers of residents dressed in black assembled in the capital, waving Iranian flags and singing ceremonial hymns, while some held portraits of the late leader. The initial visual components of the casket holding the late Supreme Leader have emerged, depicting the coffin inside a room decorated with the country's colours.
A sacred red flag featuring white lettering from the shrine of Imam Hussein has been draped over the casket. The historical flag serves as a "symbol of resistance, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion to truth," according to the Iranian government.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed profound sorrow over the passing of the leader but emphasised national fortitude, urging citizens of all backgrounds to join the procession to present a unified front to the global community.
In a statement framing the path ahead, President Pezeshkian remarked that "This martyrdom is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new chapter of national unity, resilience, and progress," pointing out that "this system rests on the firm foundations of faith, ideals, and the will of a great nation."
The extensive multi-day funeral arrangements will encompass multiple major cities across both Iran and Iraq, including Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, alongside Najaf and Karbala. The ceremonies come more than four months after the late leader died during an air strike on February 28 at the start of the conflict involving US and Israeli forces.
Maintaining public order and leadership safety remain the absolute focus for domestic security forces during what is anticipated to be one of the largest security deployments in the country's history. Gholamhossein Mozaffari, the Governor of Razavi Khorasan Province, where the burial will take place, indicated that aviation assets could be utilised to oversee crowd movements.
Meanwhile, the current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will not be present at the funeral events for his father due to security concerns, according to his representative in India, Ayatollah Hakim Elahi.
The security environment remains heightened following statements from regional adversaries, including Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who remarked that the late leader was "marked for death." In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi clarified that any operational threat directed against the current leadership would face immediate and forceful retaliation.
Furthermore, high-ranking military commanders have cautioned external forces against executing any aggressive actions during the mourning period.
In a statement published via domestic channels, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, the commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned adversaries against any miscalculation, declaring, "We warn the enemies of a strong Iran... to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the harsh and regret-inducing responses of the sons of the Iranian nation in the Armed Forces to any threat or aggression."
The delayed timeline of the event has drawn focus towards the exact methods utilised to safeguard the remains over the past four months. Speaking to Fox News Digital, counterterrorism specialist Dr. Mohammed Omar noted that the preservation involved specialised low-temperature facilities rather than chemical processes.
Dr. Omar told Fox News Digital, "The mechanism is almost certainly refrigerated cold storage, not embalming, as Islam bars chemical embalming," adding that "Shia law allows delayed burial and preservation by cold in exceptional cases, and a clerical exemption for a Supreme Leader is easy to get." He further observed that "Iran's forensic morgues already hold bodies for months, so four months in freezing is not exotic. That is what 'religious and legal standards' cover."
Domestically, reports had previously circulated regarding the health of Mojtaba Khamenei following the military strikes in February, with varying assessments ranging from minimal wounds to severe injuries. Medical authorities inside Iran maintained that the injuries were highly superficial, requiring merely "a stitch or two," prior to his hospital discharge on March 1.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio countered those claims, suggesting that the injuries were substantially more severe, with intelligence pointing to facial burns that impaired his ability to communicate. Notably, no fresh photographic evidence or video recordings of Mojtaba Khamenei have been made public since the incident.
The standard diplomatic channels indicate that the extensive funeral layout is being leveraged to consolidate international partnerships. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei noted that Tehran expects "guests from around 100 countries, including heads of government, parliamentary speakers, foreign ministers, special government envoys, other political figures, and numerous public delegations."
India will be represented at the high-profile ceremony in Tehran by a senior official delegation sent to attend the proceedings.
The government confirmed that the "Governor of Bihar, Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, and Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, will visit the Islamic Republic of Iran on July 03, 2026, to attend the funeral ceremony of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, late Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Other international delegations travelling to attend include Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while the Chinese administration will be represented by He Wei, the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
Additionally, two senior officials from the Taliban administration, including the Deputy Prime Minister and the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, are also slated to attend the cross-border proceedings.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Four months between death and funeral is unprecedented. The logistics of preserving a body that long, even by Shia law exemptions, must have been complex. It's a reminder of how different cultural and religious practices can be from our own. Respect for their traditions, but it does raise questions.
The security concerns are understandable. With regional tensions so high, having the new Supreme Leader absent from his own father's funeral due to threats says a lot about the volatility in West Asia. India should be very careful while navigating these waters. Our Chabahar port project is crucial, but so is stability.
As someone who follows global affairs, the conflicting reports about Mojtaba Khamenei's injuries are concerning. The US says he has facial burns, Iran says it was minor. The lack of any recent photo or video of him raises legitimate questions about transparency, especially for a leader who will now guide the country.
The reference to the red flag from Imam Hussein's shrine is powerful. For Shia Muslims, that symbol carries immense emotional weight. It's a call for unity and resistance, much like how we see the tricolour during national mourning. Let's hope the new leadership focuses on peace and development, not more conflict.
India's representation here is appropriate. Governor Hasnain is a respected military mind, and MoS Margherita brings diplomatic experience. But I do worry about the message it sends to our friends in Israel, especially given the timing. It would have been better to keep it purely to a senior diplomat, not a political appointment.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.