Iran has postponed the state funeral for Ali Khamenei, according to state television

Iran has postponed the state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which had been scheduled for Wednesday evening in Tehran, citing expectations of an unprecedented turnout, state television reported.

“The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. A new date will be announced later,” Iranian state TV said on Wednesday, days after Khamenei, 86, was killed in US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.

Earlier on Wednesday, authorities had announced that a tribute ceremony would be held that evening in Tehran before his body would be taken to the holy city of Mashhad—his birthplace—for burial.

Tehran has been under intense bombardment since Saturday, with missiles striking military and government facilities across the capital.

However, officials did not link the postponement to the security situation.

Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran’s Islamic Development Coordination Council—the body organising the event—told state television that the delay was partly due to the anticipated participation of millions of people and the need to ensure adequate infrastructure for such a large crowd.