Top Iranian officials honor the nation's highest authority as the capital gears up for a state burial ceremony

n n

Iranian leaders began paying their respects on Friday before the coffin of the country’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral.

n

Khamenei’s body arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions.

n

A coterie of foreign dignitaries is also due to attend Saturday’s official ceremony, with Tehran’s chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.

n

AFP photographs 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.

n

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

n

State TV broadcast footage of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian paying his respects on Friday afternoon alongside parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

n

Ahmad Vahidi, head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, also appeared, making his first appearance since the start of the war in February.

n

The city was preparing to take in huge numbers of visitors, with Ezzat Shoai, a 61-year-old teacher telling AFP that her neighbourhood had “prepared our houses to welcome those who come from outside the capital”.

n

“God willing… we will go together to say goodbye to our dear leader.”

n

Elsewhere in Tehran, a large park was transformed into a camp with hundreds of Red Crescent tents set up on the grounds.

n

Workers could also be seen removing all barriers from Azadi Avenue, a major thoroughfare through which the funeral procession will pass on Monday.

n

Tankers were stationed to spray water on the roads to cool down the participants, and a model boat — a Shia symbol — draped in red flags had been erected.

n

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.

n

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

n

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

n

– ‘Vengeance’ –

n

Ghalibaf had called on Thursday for “all the Iranian people… to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through your presence”.

n

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

n

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.

n

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

n

The bodies of his slain relatives, including his three-year-old granddaughter, will also be present.

n

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.

n

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

n

– Multi-city commemorations –

n

Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of Tehran’s notorious traffic.

n

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

n

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.

n

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

n

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.

n

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

n

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

n

bur/jsa/dcp

n n