Former Iranian supreme leader's remains brought to Tehran's sacred shrine for burial rites

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The body of Iran’s supreme leader, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his funeral, state media reported.

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Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday’s official ceremony for Ali Khamenei, with Tehran’s chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.

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Photos showed mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin, emblazoned with Iran’s tricolour flag, into the Grand Mosalla, one of the Islamic republic’s most important ceremonial venues.

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Others show crowds at a pre-funeral ceremony clad in black, as the coffin is set down against a backdrop of red flowers and white butterflies hanging in the air.

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Preparations for Khamenei’s public funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, are taking place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.

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Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks, said its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would be attend the ceremony.

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China, Afghanistan and Iran’s neighbours in the Caucasus region said they would also be sending representatives.

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Workers were readying the Grand Mosalla on Thursday, while security teams stopped passing cars and curious bystanders looked on.

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“We are planting flowers and watering the shrubs for the farewell ceremony of our martyred guide,” said worker Hossein Moghadassi, clad in a hat and a scarf to cover his face as the temperature soared.

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“People will come from all over Iran. There will be huge crowds.”

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Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had called on Thursday for “all the Iranian people…to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence.”

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“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” Ghalibaf, who is also Iran’s parliament speaker, added in a statement.

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Khamenei, a spiritual figure for many Shias, was killed at the age of 86 in strikes on his compound in the centre of the Iranian capital.

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He will lie in state for three days at the colossal Grand Mosalla, which has been draped in banners featuring images and quotes of Khamenei.

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The bodies of his slain relatives will also be presented.

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The ceremonies are expected to draw between 15 and 20 million mourners, according to officials, which would make it the biggest state funeral in the country’s history.

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Ghalibaf called it “one of the most significant moments” in Iran’s history.

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Tehran, as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, which will host later stages of the funeral and burial ceremonies, will observe public holidays while the events are underway.

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Authorities have ordered public and private offices in Tehran to close from Saturday through Monday, while traffic restrictions will make much of the city centre inaccessible to private vehicles.

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The airspace over Tehran will be partially closed from Friday and fully closed on Monday.

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Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his birthplace.

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It remains unknown if Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since becoming supreme leader, will be present at the main ceremony in Tehran.

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Representatives from around 30 countries are expected to attend the funeral, with people pouring in from neighbouring Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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AFP

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