Web Desk: Funeral prayers for Iran’s slain former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were held in Tehran on Sunday, drawing thousands of mourners, senior Iranian officials and foreign dignitaries, state media reported.
Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani led the funeral prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla complex. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and several heads of state attended the ceremony alongside large crowds of mourners.
Thousands of people filled the sprawling courtyard of the Grand Mosalla, many carrying red flags, while mourners dressed in black lined the funeral grounds and surrounding streets to bid farewell to the longtime Iranian leader.
The red flags, widely regarded in Iran as symbols associated with calls for justice and revenge, were prominently displayed throughout the ceremony.
Iranian authorities said Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before burial in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
On Saturday, the bodies of Khamenei and members of his family who were killed alongside him were placed on public display in Tehran, allowing mourners to pay their final respects ahead of the funeral.
Khamenei, who served as Iran’s Supreme Leader for more than three decades, was killed on Feb. 28, 2026, the first day of a US-Israeli military offensive against Iran, according to Iranian authorities.
Iran selected a new Supreme Leader on March 8, about one week after Khamenei’s death. However, his burial was delayed, with authorities postponing the funeral and interment until after the leadership transition and subsequent state mourning ceremonies.
The funeral marks the culmination of days of national mourning, as Iranian leaders and supporters paid tribute to one of the country’s most influential political and religious figures.
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