Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s six-day funeral expected to draw over 20 million mourners in Iran: All you need to know | World

Funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, are set to begin from the 4th of July. The ceremonies will conclude with his burial in his hometown Mashhad on July 9.

Ali Khamenei was killed aged 86 in a joint United States-Israeli air strike on Iran that triggered a major conflict in the region. The funeral is intended to be an epic display of state unity, national power, and personal mourning during a time of doubts over political legitimacy.

The ceremonies are expected to receive representatives from over 100 countries. 

What is the schedule of the ceremonies?

• July 4-6: Khamenei’s body will be placed at the Grand Mosalla prayer complex, which will be followed by a major procession through the streets of Tehran on July 6th, according to Al Jazeera.
• July 7: Following the procession, the former Supreme Leader’s body will then be moved to the city of Qom, which is one of Iran’s foremost Shiite cities.
• July 8: At the request of Iraqi authorities, his remains will be brought to Iraq, where the rest of the ceremonies are expected to take place at the sacred Shiite shrines of Najaf and Karbala.
• July 9: Khamenei will then be laid to rest in a funeral ceremony in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. The holy city is the birthplace of the late leader.

Iran’s warning to US, Israel

An Iranian military commander warned the US and Israel against any attacks during the state funeral of the former Supreme Leader.

“We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation and to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country,” Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement carried by state media.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s current Supreme Leader and son of the slain leader, will not be attending his funeral, according to reports. A decision that comes following Israel’s recent threat to assassinate him. 

What did Iran say to its citizens?

Tehran’s chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher-Ghalibaf, has called for a massive turnout at the funeral procession of Ali Khamenei, as a way to avenge the leader’s killing. 

“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” Ghalibaf said. 

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also urged Iranians “of every ethnicity, religion, preference, and political tendency” to attend the funeral. 

“Your widespread presence will be a decisive response to the logic of terrorism, violence, and bullying and a clear message to the world that the Iranian nation stands united and in solidarity in defending its independence and dignity,” Pezeshkian said in a statement on Thursday.

Written by Bhavye Dhalla. Bhavye Dhalla is an intern with IndiaTV Digital.