Huge Crowds Gather as Khamenei Funeral Ceremonies Begin

Funeral ceremonies for Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei officially began on Saturday, with thousands of mourners gathering in Tehran for an event the authorities hope will demonstrate the Islamic republic's resilience and unity.

State television said millions are expected to participate over the next several days, with officials estimating that between 15 and 20 million people could attend the ceremonies in Tehran alone.

The six-day mourning programme honours Khamenei, who led Iran from 1989 until he was killed at the age of 86 on the opening day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

The ceremonies are also being closely watched for any public appearance by Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed supreme leader a week after his father's death but has yet to appear in public.

Thousands of mourners carrying red banners, a symbol of vengeance, gathered at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex awaiting the arrival of Khamenei's coffin. Chants of "Death to America" and "Revenge, revenge" echoed through the venue.

"We came because we promised the supreme leader we would stand by him to the very end," said Reza, a 37-year-old university professor who gave only his first name. "For a long time, we said we would sacrifice our lives for the leader, but it was he who sacrificed himself for us."

Javad Akbari, a 43-year-old food-processing worker, said he regretted never meeting Khamenei in person. "Today, I have come to bid him a final farewell," he said.

AFP journalists reported that many mourners walked several kilometres to reach the venue, while hundreds had begun gathering outside the Grand Mosalla on Friday evening.

"We want to say a final goodbye to our leader, so waiting here is neither painful nor difficult," mourner Somayye Hamedi said.

Authorities imposed extensive security measures for the ceremonies, blocking roads and preparing to close the country's airspace. The funeral is expected to be Iran's largest public gathering since the burial of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Khamenei's coffin will remain in Tehran until Monday before a funeral procession through the capital. It will then travel to the religious city of Qom on Tuesday, continue to Shia holy sites in neighbouring Iraq on Wednesday, and finally be taken to his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran for burial on Thursday.

Senior Iranian officials attended the opening ceremonies on Friday, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who appeared visibly emotional, and Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi.

Attention remains focused on Mojtaba Khamenei, who has issued only written statements since becoming supreme leader and is believed to have been injured in the strikes that killed his father. Several other family members killed in the attacks, including Ali Khamenei's infant granddaughter, will also be laid to rest.

Among the foreign dignitaries attending were Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, representing President Vladimir Putin. Delegations from Hamas, Hezbollah and Afghanistan's Taliban government also paid their respects.

Although an initial agreement between Iran and the United States has paused five weeks of conflict, Iranian leaders warned that the country remains prepared to resume hostilities if necessary.

"The nation's call for vengeance must be heard across the world," Ghalibaf said, urging a massive public turnout. Army chief Amir Hatami also declared that Israel and the United States "will pay for the blood of the martyred leader and all the nation's martyrs."

Officials have also taken precautions to prevent crowd-related accidents. State television broadcast safety guidance for attendees, while water tankers were deployed to cool roads as temperatures in Tehran were forecast to exceed 35 degrees Celsius.

Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran's usually congested streets were unusually quiet, with significantly lighter traffic than normal.