Millions expected at funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

The funeral of Ali Khamenei, who lost his life in the attacks launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28, is in preparation. 

Khamenei was the religious leader who had been in office the longest after the country’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, having ruled Iran for 37 years.

The ceremony, which is due to take place between 4 and 9 July, is scheduled to last six days and will cover five cities: Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala and Mashhad.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, a few days ago to organize the ceremony in the cities of Najaf and Karbala, which are major centres of the Shia Islamic world.

The first religious ceremonies are expected to be held at the Imam Khomeini Musalla Mosque in Tehran on Saturday, July 4, while the main funeral procession will take place on Sunday between Imam Hussein Square and Azadi Square. The funeral will then be taken to Qom, a major center in the Shia Islamic world.

Billboards and posters were seen to have been put up all over Tehran for the funeral ceremony. Various photographs of Khamenei were used on the posters.

Some eye-catching posters showed Ali Khamenei alongside his son Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s current Supreme Leader. Mojtaba took office as the Supreme Leader on March 8, 2026.

On another billboard, he was seen embracing Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was killed in a U.S. airstrike on Jan. 3, 2020.

Khamenei's burial is set to take place on July 9 in Mashhad, the city where he was born. 

Between 8 and 10 million people are expected to attend the ceremony in Mashhad, the headquarters of Astan Quds Razavi, a major foundation in the country.