Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Tehran on Monday as Iran held the funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death has plunged the country into mourning and intensified tensions across the Middle East.
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, along with coffins of family members killed in an Israeli-American airstrike that opened the war between Israel and the United States, were carried through the Iranian capital on a specially decorated truck. The vehicle was designed to mimic the ornate grating around the shrine of an imam, as mourners stopped to pay homage as it slowly rolled through the packed streets.
Crowds of black-clad people reached out to touch the decorative structure deep into the evening and many tossed scarves and personal items onto the truck to press them against the coffins so attendants could press them against the coffins— the centuries-old religious tradition many people see as signs of blessing. Volunteers sprayed water over mourners in response to the heat of the summer and to keep them cool.
As the funeral is arranged by Revolutionary Guard General Hasan Hasanzadeh, the funeral procession will pass through Tehran for 12 hours before continuing to Mehrabad International Airport. The coffins will be taken to Mashhad, where Khamenei will be buried at Imam Reza shrine.
Iranian authorities have declared an extended period of national mourning, closing roads and cutting off air traffic and suspending daily life as well as many aspects of life. The official mourning period began Saturday and will last until Thursday when the funeral ends.
The government has promoted a large turnout of people, casting the funeral as a symbol of national unity and support for the country’s leadership. Thousands of people rallied on massive squares in Tehran waving Iranian flags and banners with pictures of Khamenei on the front.
The funeral comes at a time of growing geopolitical tension. Diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran— including talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran's nuclear programme and a longer-term solution— have been put on hold until the funeral is over.
The mood of the procession also reflected anger among many mourners at Khamenei’s death. Some participants carried signs calling for retaliation against the United States and Israel and banners and effigies targeting U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were also visible along parts of the procession route.
U.S. authorities have been monitoring threats from Iran toward Trump and other U.S. officials since 2020’s assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by U.S. drone strikes. Iran has denied that it has backed attacks against Trump but anti-American rhetoric has become routine political discourse.
Grief was also felt at the funeral as well as a call for resilience by many mourners, said one person.
"Today that we are here for the funeral for our leader, it's a very tough day," said one of the mourners, Fatima Hassan. “We are not here to say goodbye to him; we are here for revenge.”
Iran’s long-serving Supreme Leader is being bid farewell today to a country that is not only a country with a history of judicial reform but a world leader too.
