Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei concluded in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday, with his coffin now being transferred to Iraq for further commemorations.
The journey forms part of six days of state-organised mourning, during which large crowds gathered in Tehran and Qom before the planned burial in Khamenei’s birthplace of Mashhad.
Large crowds gather in Qom
Iranian state media reported that millions of people participated in Monday’s procession in Tehran, six months after the authorities suppressed widespread demonstrations against the government and the rising cost of living.
Large crowds also filled the streets of Qom on Tuesday, according to aerial footage broadcast by Iranian state television. Some mourners chanted “Death to America”, a slogan frequently heard at official gatherings in the Islamic Republic.
The coffins of Khamenei and four relatives killed alongside him during the US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 are expected to arrive in Iraq on Tuesday night.
Iranian authorities said those killed included his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter.
⚡️⭕️ Iran - Imam Khamenei funeral: Aerial views from the endless crowds of mourners in the city of Qom pic.twitter.com/Nf16fjI5rW
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Ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala
Public ceremonies are scheduled for Wednesday in Najaf and Karbala, two of the holiest cities in Shia Islam.
In Najaf, the procession will travel to the Imam Ali Shrine. The city is a major centre of Shia religious education and is home to seminaries where senior clerics from across the region have studied and taught.
The coffins will later be taken to Karbala in central Iraq and carried to the shrines of Imam Hussein and his half-brother Abbas.
Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam, was killed in the Battle of Karbala in the seventh century. His death is commemorated annually by millions of Shia Muslims during Ashura.
Iraqi authorities increase security
Iraqi authorities, which maintain close political and religious ties with neighbouring Iran, said extensive security measures had been introduced ahead of the ceremonies.
Esmail Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, praised Baghdad’s preparations, saying they demonstrated “the deep spiritual bond” between the Iranian and Iraqi peoples.
Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies have drawn comparisons with those held in 1989 for his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
The former supreme leader, who led Iran for more than three decades, died at the age of 86. He is due to be buried in Mashhad on Thursday, July 9, bringing the six-day mourning programme to a close.
Source: AMNA
