The commencement of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral processions on July 3, 2026, marks a deeply consequential moment for Iran, unfolding amidst heavy security and profound domestic political and economic strain.
A seven-day series of state funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader has begun in Iran, with foreign delegations from more than 100 countries arriving to attend.
Khamenei’s body lay in state in a vast hall in Tehran on Friday as scholars, officials, foreign dignitaries and other mourners paid their respects after his 37-year rule.
He was killed on February 28, 2026, during the opening joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes of the conflict.
The multi-day lying-in-state and subsequent funeral rites have been heavily orchestrated by the Iranian government to serve as a massive display of state continuity and regional defiance.
Khamenei’s coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters On Friday, the coffin and those of family members killed with him was laid in state in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, the great prayer hall built to honour his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
86-years-old Khamenei was killed alongside several relatives including his daughter, son-in-law and three-year-old granddaughter in an air strike on February 28, the first day of the joint US-Israel war on Iran.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, formally succeeded him as supreme leader weeks later.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian paid respects to Khamenei on Friday, state media reported. Foreign officials, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, were also expected.
The burial was scheduled for March, but the subsequent months-long conflict delayed the funeral rites until this week.
The funeral procession will continue through Tehran and Qom before moving briefly into Iraq on July 8.
Final burial ceremonies are scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Ali Reza Shrine in Mashhad.
Public viewing is scheduled to begin on Saturday morning, with authorities preparing to manage crowds amid a regional heatwave.
