Newsletters
Iran began days of state funeral ceremonies Friday for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed at age 86 in the February U.S.-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as foreign delegations poured into Tehran and authorities called for millions to attend Saturday's main procession in a display of "revolutionary defiance."
Khamenei's flag-draped coffin was laid in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla alongside the coffins of family members killed with him in the February 28 strike on his compound—including his daughter, son-in-law, 14-month-old granddaughter, and the wife of his son and successor, new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since reportedly being wounded in the same attack.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at Saadabad Palace in Tehran on Friday, having traveled to Iran to attend the state funeral.
Yilmaz posted about the meeting on his social media account.
"We wholeheartedly share the pain that our brotherly Iranian people have experienced throughout this process," he said.
"As Türkiye, we will continue to contribute to efforts toward making peace and stability in our region permanent, strengthening dialogue channels and supporting the normalization process following the war," the Turkish VP noted.
Yilmaz said Türkiye would continue working with its Iranian counterparts to further develop bilateral relations in all areas, particularly economy, trade, energy and transportation.
"We thank the president for his gracious reception," he added, extending condolences to the Iranian state and people.
Ahmad Vahidi, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), appeared publicly for the first time since the war began in February, paying his respects at Khamenei's coffin, according to Iranian media footage.
Vahidi took command after both his predecessors, Hossein Salami and Mohammad Pakpour, were killed. Salami was killed in Israel's June 2025 attack and Pakpour in the opening U.S.-Israeli strikes in February that also killed Khamenei.
Iran has planned a seven-day funeral program for Khamenei.
Farewell ceremonies in Tehran are scheduled for Friday through Sunday, with the main funeral procession in the capital set for Monday.
Ceremonies will then move to the holy city of Qom on Tuesday, followed by events in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday. The final funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at the Imam Ali Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei's birthplace and one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.
His body will also be taken to Najaf and Karbala before the burial.
Following the burial on July 9, the airspace over Tehran will be fully closed on Monday. Hotels are offering 50% discounts, and schools, mosques and sports halls have been prepared to house mourners.
Bus and rail networks have been diverted to serve the main events.
Authorities have estimated between 15 and 20 million mourners could attend the multi-city ceremonies, which would make it the largest state funeral in Iranian history.
Chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on all Iranians to attend, saying the funeral represented "one of the most significant moments" in the country's history.
"The nation's call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world," Ghalibaf said in a statement.
In Tehran, crowds gathered on the streets to mourn the slain leader.
"Allah willing, only by avenging his blood, demanding justice for it, and ensuring that our leader's blood is not left unavenged, can this sorrow of the people be somewhat alleviated," said Mobina Razaaghi, an 18-year-old student from Isfahan attending the events with classmates.
Banners across Tehran in Arabic, English and Farsi read: "We must rise."
A giant statue in Tehran's Enghelab Square depicted the late Khamenei's raised, clenched fist.
In his first message to the nation, read by a state television anchor, Mojtaba Khamenei said he had seen his father's body after his death with a raised, clenched fist.
Burials are meant to be conducted within a day of death under Islamic practice, but the funeral was postponed because of the risk of holding a large public ceremony during the conflict.
It went ahead after last month's interim truce deal between Iran and the United States was agreed.
Khamenei was 86 years old when he was killed, having ruled Iran as supreme leader for 37 years.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
