The funeral procession for Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on Monday, as authorities prepared for crowds that could rival those that turned out for his predecessor nearly four decades ago. The ceremonies offer Iran an opportunity to project resilience after five weeks of war with the United States and Israel, while attention remains focused on Khamenei's successor, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking power.
Massive Crowds and Security Measures
After lying in state for two days at Tehran's Grand Mosalla religious complex, the body of Khamenei began its journey through the capital accompanied by massive crowds of mourners, according to state broadcaster IRIB. Mourners gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran and hanged an effigy of US President Donald Trump, as reported by state media. Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khamenei's predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to state news agency IRNA. Crowd surges in Khomeini's funeral killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.
Significance of the Funeral Procession
The funerals are a chance for Iran's authorities to burnish their resilience after five weeks at war with Israel and the United States. Parliament speaker and chief negotiator with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, hailed on X the way the "proud and invincible nation of Islamic Iran unanimously" paid tribute to its "martyr". Monday's procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
Public Appearances and Absences
Three of Ali Khamenei's sons made a rare public appearance at the funeral on Sunday, further highlighting the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named supreme leader shortly after his father's killing but has yet to appear in public. Officials have said he was wounded in the airstrikes but the severity of his injuries remains unclear. The new commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi, whose predecessor was killed on February 28, appeared at the funerals for a second time on Sunday, this time in the open air, after he went unseen throughout the war. Esmail Qaani, the shadowy head of the Guards' Quds Force -- responsible for its foreign operations -- also made a rare appearance.
Political and Social Implications
While Iranian authorities have been keen to present a united front, none of President Masoud Pezeshkian's surviving predecessors, who had tensions in their relationship with Khamenei, have so far been seen at the ceremonies. The government is also eager to tout the mass mobilization in support of the authorities after mass protests in January that rights groups say were quelled by a crackdown that killed thousands of people. The Middle East war is on hold following a ceasefire and an initial accord struck with the US. Both Washington and Tehran have warned they are ready to resume military action, and vengeance has been a major theme at the funerals.
Calls for Revenge and International Reactions
"The killers (of Khamenei) must face punishment," a 38-year-old man who gave his surname as Miremadi told AFP at the prayers on Sunday. "We back our revolution and our leader, and we demand revenge for the blood of our loved ones," said a woman, 39, with the surname Bakand. Khamenei long pursued a course of confrontation with the West, and Tehran for years has provided support to anti-US and anti-Israel armed groups around the Middle East, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah, who both sent delegations to the ceremonies.
