Iran begins largest funeral in its history to bid farewell to supreme leader Ali Khamenei

By Jaime León

Tehran, Jul 3 (EFE).- Hundreds of senior Iranian and foreign officials paid tribute on Friday to the assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for over 36 years, on the first day of the funeral procession, which will be the largest in the history of the Islamic Republic.

The six-day funeral procession will take place in five cities across Iran and Iraq and comes four months after the United States and Israel assassinated Khamenei on Feb. 28, the first day of the war.

Shortly after midnight, amid the sobs of his followers and a shower of flower petals, the coffin of the cleric, now called the “martyr leader,” was unveiled. It was then carried to the Mosala Mosque in Tehran.

The coffin was draped in an Iranian flag and adorned with a black turban, a symbol of the descendants of Muhammad, as well as a Palestinian keffiyeh.

Next to Khamenei’s coffin were four family members, killed alongside him, including his three-year-old granddaughter and the wife of his son and successor, Mojtaba, whohas not been seen in public since his appointment on Mar. 8.

From early morning, a procession of leaders, including the prime ministers of Pakistan and Armenia, the presidents of Iraq, Tajikistan, and Georgia, and representatives from Russia, China, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Morocco, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Nicaragua, and Cuba, among others, marched past the coffins to pay their respects to the cleric.

Tears and calls for revenge were evident among Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, and the head of the Iranian Judiciary, Golamhosein Mohseni Ejei, who all wept before the coffin.

Top military officials reaffirmed their loyalty to the Islamic Revolution. The army’s commander-in-chief, General Amir Hatami, vowed that the country would “avenge the blood of the martyred leader.”

Ahmad Vahidi, commander-in-chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, made his first public appearance at Mosala. He had not been seen in public since February.

The Iranian capital is on high alert, with a heavy police presence in the streets, restricted flights over Tehran, and a 1.5-kilometer security perimeter around Mosala. Access to the area is restricted.

The unprecedented security operation follows the assassination of Khamenei and other high-ranking military and political officials during the war.

The largest funeral in the history of the Islamic Republic

A wake will be held at the Mosalla Mosque on Saturday and Sunday following Thursday’s events. As of Monday, the funeral procession will make its way through the capital.

On Tuesday, the procession will move to the holy city of Qom. On Wednesday, it will continue to Iraq. On Thursday, Khamenei will be buried in Mashhad, a holy city in the northeast of the country. He will be laid to rest at the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Shia Islam.

Authorities expect 20 million people to participate in Tehran alone to bid farewell to Khamenei, surpassing the 10 million people who attended the funeral of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989, the country’s largest funeral to date.

These massive public gatherings are intended to demonstrate popular support for the Islamic Republic and national unity in the wake of months of conflict with the US and Israel. They also aim to project an image of continuity through the motto “We must rise up,” which appears on multiple posters throughout the city.

Despite these displays of support, many Iranians oppose the Islamic Republic and yearn for freedoms. They have not forgotten the crackdown on the January protests that left over 7,000 people dead, according to overseas-based NGOs.

When Khamenei’s death was announced in February, people celebrated from numerous windows in Tehran as citizens chanted, “Khamenei is dead.” EFE

ash-jlr/dgp