Iran prepares for massive farewell as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral begins
Iran is set for one of the biggest funeral events in history after the funeral of a supreme leader in Iran in 1989 and there were around 10 million people attending that 37 years ago.
Currently, Iranian officials stated that they are expecting a substantial number of Iranians, especially in Tehran, with an estimated gathering of over 10 million mourners to bid farewell to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral details
On Monday, July 6, corresponding to the 21st of Muharram, the funeral procession ceremony will be held in Tehran.
On Tuesday, July 7, corresponding to the 22nd of Muharram, another funeral procession ceremony is slated to occur in the holy city of Qom.
The final funeral ceremony will be held on Thursday, July 9, followed by burial at the holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, which is also his birthplace.
Notably, the Lead organizer and First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref has described the proceedings as “the most important event of this century” and the largest gathering since the 1979 revolution.
The Iranian government has been selective with its guest list, representatives from approximately 30 countries are expected to attend.
Iran project director for the International Crisis Group think tank, Ali Vaez, stated, “Khamenei fortified the Islamic Republic against its external enemies, but in the process weakened the republican foundations on which its long-term legitimacy depended.”
“After war, leadership transition and the lingering trauma of a brutally suppressed uprising, the Islamic Republic enters a period of profound uncertainty,” Ali added.
For those unaware, Ayatollah Khamenei embraced martyrdom in Tehran on February 28 in an Israeli-US attack, leaving behind a legacy that looms over nearly every element of the Islamic Republic that he controlled with an iron fist for nearly four decades.
